Universities fear initiative to stop embryonic stem cell research

A European citizens’ initiative is a new instrument of participative democracy. Because the proponents collected more than one million signatures in at least seven member states, the European Commission must take their demands into consideration for the creation of possible legislation against research with human embryonic stem cells.

In an open letter published Flemish daily De Standaard yesterday, the rectors of the five Flemish universities warned that the research into treatments for diseases like Parkinson’s and diabetes are in grave danger if the European Commission complies. “Researchers would work with adult stem cells if they are just as useful, but, at the moment, this is not the case,” said Rik Torfs, rector of the University of Leuven. Torfs also pointed out that Belgium already has strict regulation in stem cell research.