British Bill Gives Green Light to Chimera Stem Cell Research
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Though faced with fierce opposition from pro-life groups, scientists have finally been given the go-ahead from the government in allowing the creation of hybrid animal-human embryos. Why would such a thing be necessary? Scientists need them for stem cell research, which they say is vital to finding treatments and cures for such diseases as Alzheimer’s.
The bill gives scientists leeway to create “cytoplasmic” hybrid embryos, made up of 99.9 percent human DNA and 0.1 percent animal DNA. Not just that, but the bill also allows for human embryos to be altered by the addition of animal DNA. These chimeras, as they are called, are necessary to supplement a shortage of available human eggs for research purposes.
The Human Tissue and Embryos Bill has been criticized as a step down on the issue of stem cell research by the British government. However, the Public Health Minister in Westminster said that the white paper published last year, which banned use of hybrid embryos, had left room for a case-by-case interpretation.
