No patents for stem cells

Published on 19 October 2011 at 13:23

Cover

In a ruling applauded by the Catholic Church, criticised by researchers, and feared by the pharmaceuticals industry: "The European Court of Justice has banned patents based on human stem cell research,” headlines Die Presse. On 18 October, the judges in Luxembourg that researchers who had recourse to methods involving the destruction of human embryos would not be able to patent their discoveries, invoking the principle of "respect for human dignity." European states are divided on the issue of the use of stem cells in research, with national legislation that varies from an outright ban in Italy to very liberal laws in the United Kingdom and Sweden.

In Germany, the country where the case heard by the European Court of Justice began with a complaint filed by Greenpeace against a Bonn University researcher, the press is divided on the issue. The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitungenthusiastically remarks that the ruling shows that “economic interests do not take precedence over everything,” while Süddeutsche Zeitung struggles to understand the decision. "Excessive moralising," headlines the Bavarian daily, which points out that the judges were less motivated by moral considerations when considering the patenting of "components for tanks, abortion pills and the results of animal testing.”

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday
Tags

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic