Spain approves embryo research
The Spanish government has announced that researchers will be allowed to create embryonic stem cells from IVF embryos, despite bitter opposition. “It is not ethical to place obstacles and difficulties in the way of scientists who are using their talent and knowledge to improve our capacity to treat illness,” deputy prime minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega explained. The health minister added that it would provide a “socially useful” purpose for spare IVF embryos.
The Spanish government plans to spend 100 Euros (US$130 million) over the next four years on “regenerative medicine”, including embryo research. The health minister indicated that therapeutic cloning could be approved next year.
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