Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-29-Speech-4-022"
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"en.20011129.1.4-022"2
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"Mr President, many people still suffer from incurable degenerative diseases that affect the whole body, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and leukaemia. Others, in an otherwise healthy body, have poorly functioning or damaged vital organs, such as heart, kidneys, liver or lungs.
As human beings we have succeeded in changing all kinds of things in the world outside ourselves, but can still only solve our own physical defects to a very limited extent. We find the repair and enhancement of our physical fabric quite simply horrific. Is man about to act like his own creator and does that conflict with the purpose for which people were put on earth?
Few people will be enthusiastic about creating invulnerable superhumans who will eventually oust normal human beings. In addition, the sacrifice of human life in order to improve the quality of other lives, evokes feelings of cannibalism.
The discussion is sometimes about extremes. One extreme position is the desire to ban all scientific research and imprison researchers, the other is the wish to allow every commercial use, such as those, for example, being developed by the American company Advanced Cell Technology, and hence making possible, at the individual level, everything that wealthy people can and are prepared to pay for.
I reject both extremes. The use of stem cells from one’s own body or if necessary from residual embryos, is defensible. Any creation of separate life for this purpose should be preceded by investigation of alternatives, and with the trade in embryos we are definitely overstepping the bounds of acceptability.
That also applies to the valuing and modification of human life at the request of the insurers. Weighing everything up, I feel closer to the line followed by Mr Caudron than to that of Mr Fiori."@en1
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