EU proposal would prefer to use human embryos rather than animals for testing

LifeSiteNews report March 24th that a proposed new directive from the European Commission (EC) will drastically restrict the use of animals in laboratory testing, and certain toxicology tests on animals will be permitted only after alternative methods, including research on tissue taken from human embryos, has proved fruitless, according to a report in the Catholic Herald.

In its coverage of the issue, the Herald quotes a report accompanying the EC directive that says, "The establishment of human embryonic stem cells in 1998 raised hopes in many research areas, including the development of alternatives to animal experiments." The report says that human embryonic research is a "powerful alternative to animal tests."

This is a shocking proposal and yet another instance of the appalling lack of respect for unborn human life in the EU institutions. It was because of appalling anti life decisions such as this that Ireland voted against the Lisbon treaty last year. Animals should never be treated cruelly but to propose that human embryos should be used for research instead is utterly reprehensible.

Considering the serious implications of this proposal we are carrying out further investigation and will report further on it in due course