IN BRIEF: Spain; France; Congo; tissue theft racket

January 16, 2006

A Spanish stem cell researcher has come under fire for developing human embryonic stem cells without proper consent from patients. Carlos Sim?n, of the Valencian Infertility Institute, created two stem cell lines from IVF embryos and claims to have differentiated them into cells resembling the pancreas, heart and brain. However the Spanish health ministry alleges that he did the research without proper authorisation. Sim?n says that his work has become a political football, with the provincial government supporting it and the central government denouncing it as a violation of current laws.

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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