A recent study appeared on the July issue of Cell Stem Cell Research journal [Cortes, Menendez] describing how a survey conducted in different fertility clinics in Spain gave the following results: 49 % of the interviewed couples chose to donate their embryos for stem cell research, and 44 % decided to keep them cryopreserved. Only 7 % chose to donate them to other infertile couples, and less than 1 % made the decision to discard them.
Spain is one of the countries with the most liberal policies concerning human embryonic stem cell research. Cryopreserved embryos fewer than fourteen days past fertilization may be used for human embryonic stem cell line derivation, the only requirement being that the procedures must be linked to a specific research project. The Spanish government recently passed a bill to permit therapeutic cloning and cellular reprogramming. Additionally, many stem cell banks have been set: Valencia, Granada, and Madrid. Moreover, the Spanish law permits donation of surplus embryo result of in vitro fertilization for the treatment of other infertile couples.
What about Italy? It has one of the world most restrictive laws concerning embryo research, not allowing embryos to be created or destroyed for research purposes. Furthermore, surplus embryos result of in vitro fertilization cannot be cryopreserved and must all be implanted into the woman’s uterus, with great risk to her health and the health of the multiple embryos. Anyone involved in destroying human embryos lives under the threat of being excommunicated. In 2005 Italians were called to vote to open up the possibility of research with surplus embryos, but the campaign was so blurred and information so scarce –much responsibility was also on the shoulders of researchers, who did not put enough effort in communicating the exact nature of the science to the public- that people did not vote, and the quorum was not reached. Despite all this, seven Italian research groups are working on human embryonic stem cells (IES group), and on July 12th they presented in Rome their Manifesto with their reasons for commitment to research on hES (http://www.eurostemcell.org/AboutUs/about_press.htm#Manifesto ). The Italian law, in fact, does not specifically prohibit research on human embryonic stem cells derived outside of the country, being similar in this regard to the German law.
Given this data, we may ask ourselves how it was possible for the two catholic countries in Europe by antonomasia to reach opposing policies regarding human stem cell research. Italy and Spain are very similar also for language and life habits. But when we look at science, over the last few years they have diverged greatly: while Italy seems to be taking a rest, Spain has shifted into the fifth gear. For example, in July 2006 one of the biggest European scientific parks on molecular medicine opened in Barcelona (http://www.pcb.ub.es/homePCB/live/en/p1.asp), while in Valencia in 2005 the Principe Felipe center, specifically dedicated to the derivation of human embryonic cell lines and clinical applications, was inaugurated (http://www.ochoa.fib.es/).
Spain is one of the countries with the most liberal policies concerning human embryonic stem cell research. Cryopreserved embryos fewer than fourteen days past fertilization may be used for human embryonic stem cell line derivation, the only requirement being that the procedures must be linked to a specific research project. The Spanish government recently passed a bill to permit therapeutic cloning and cellular reprogramming. Additionally, many stem cell banks have been set: Valencia, Granada, and Madrid. Moreover, the Spanish law permits donation of surplus embryo result of in vitro fertilization for the treatment of other infertile couples.
What about Italy? It has one of the world most restrictive laws concerning embryo research, not allowing embryos to be created or destroyed for research purposes. Furthermore, surplus embryos result of in vitro fertilization cannot be cryopreserved and must all be implanted into the woman’s uterus, with great risk to her health and the health of the multiple embryos. Anyone involved in destroying human embryos lives under the threat of being excommunicated. In 2005 Italians were called to vote to open up the possibility of research with surplus embryos, but the campaign was so blurred and information so scarce –much responsibility was also on the shoulders of researchers, who did not put enough effort in communicating the exact nature of the science to the public- that people did not vote, and the quorum was not reached. Despite all this, seven Italian research groups are working on human embryonic stem cells (IES group), and on July 12th they presented in Rome their Manifesto with their reasons for commitment to research on hES (http://www.eurostemcell.org/AboutUs/about_press.htm#Manifesto ). The Italian law, in fact, does not specifically prohibit research on human embryonic stem cells derived outside of the country, being similar in this regard to the German law.
Given this data, we may ask ourselves how it was possible for the two catholic countries in Europe by antonomasia to reach opposing policies regarding human stem cell research. Italy and Spain are very similar also for language and life habits. But when we look at science, over the last few years they have diverged greatly: while Italy seems to be taking a rest, Spain has shifted into the fifth gear. For example, in July 2006 one of the biggest European scientific parks on molecular medicine opened in Barcelona (http://www.pcb.ub.es/homePCB/live/en/p1.asp), while in Valencia in 2005 the Principe Felipe center, specifically dedicated to the derivation of human embryonic cell lines and clinical applications, was inaugurated (http://www.ochoa.fib.es/).
The example of Spain should at least invite us to reflect on the present situation of research in Italy: isn’t this “siesta” lasting too long?
