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James Debono
In a show of “Catholic unity”, Malta’s five MEPs voted against the European Commission’s liberal position on embryonic stem cell research earlier this week.
But with 284 votes in favour, 249 against and 32 abstentions, the European Parliament supported the Commission’s position that research on the use of human stem cells, both adult and embryonic, may be financed.
The five Maltese MEPs also unsuccessfully voted to keep this sensitive issue under the jurisdiction of national governments.
Yet unlike the Nationalist MEPs, the Labour’s euro-parliamentarians would not support a complete ban on scientific research as recommended by the Church, by leaving a door open for the benefits of stem cell research.
Medical researchers argue that it is necessary to pursue embryonic stem cell research to further the medical potential in treating cancer, spinal cord injuries, and muscle damage.
The late Christopher Reeve, the protagonist of Superman and a victim of spinal cord injury, was one of the most vocal champions of this kind of research.
Yet at the present state of technology, starting a stem cell ‘line’ requires the destruction of a human embryo cell which is considered a full human person by Catholics.
Supporters of stem cell research argue that millions of fertilised cells kept frozen in European laboratories could at least be used in medical research instead of being wasted. Catholics oppose this argument insisting it would lead to the evils of cloning, eugenics and a culture of death.
While the Nationalist MEPs took an ultra-conservative stand supporting an amendment calling for a complete ban of financing via the European Union’s research budget for the use of embryos and embryonic stem cells for purposes of scientific research, the Labour MEPs abstained.
Amendment 354, which was the preferred option of the Church, was rejected by 238 votes in favour, 287 against and 40 abstentions.
Through a note sent on Thursday morning to MEPs by Rev. Vanni Xuereb, the Maltese Catholic Church encouraged Malta’s MEPs to back the amendment supporting the ban.
“We want to leave a door open for embryonic stem cell research as this can be used to treat terrible diseases like cancer. At the same time we are against a laissez-faire attitude to research on embryos. Therefore we opted for a middle of the road solution,” Labour MEP Joseph Muscat explained.
While abstaining on a complete ban on research on embryos, the Labour MEPs opted for an amendment stating that research should be limited to embryonic stem cell lines created before 31 December 2003.
“This would have limited research to frozen embryos produced in IVF labs which are destined for destruction,” Muscat said.
Curiously the Nationalist MEPs voted both for a complete ban on embryo research and also for a restricted ban on embryos created before 2004.
“For us this approach would have been contradictory as one cannot vote for a complete ban and than vote for a partial one. Since we are not against all stem cell research on embryos, we voted to limit embryonic stem cell research without banning it altogether,” says Muscat.
All Maltese MEPs voted in favour of this middle of the road amendment which was rejected with 255 voting in favour, 274 against and 35 abstentions.
Both Nationalist and Labour MEPs also voted against an alternative approach proposed by the British conservatives who presented an amendment banning stem cell research on embryos which are more than 14 days old.
By voting alongside conservative MEPs opposing stem cell research, the Labour MEPs defied the position of most of their leftist colleagues.
Yet the Maltese defection did not affect the result as the European Parliament voted to finance research on the use of human stem cells, both adult and embryonic.
Only 17 Socialist MEPs voted against the Commission’s position. On the other hand, a consistent minority of 50 European People’s Party MEPs voted in favour of embryonic stem cell research.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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