Parliament committee calls for clarification on genetics research
The European Parliament's Temporary Committee on Human Genetics concluded a second day of talks by calling for more clarification on patents, more EU funding and the protection of confidentiality. Committee chairman and Luxembourg MEP Robert Goebbels closed the second day of the round table by saying that the EU must establish a common foundation of ethical rules that was as broad as possible in order to accommodate the different positions of all those involved. Mr Goebbels criticised the directive on the patenting of biotechnological inventions for being incomplete. National representatives also expressed the worry that a lack of clear rules on patents could hamper the progress of research. They called for a debate that goes beyond than the European level in order to prevent the emergence of any 'grey areas'. It was suggested that the European Patent Office provide clearer guidelines on the matter. Representatives agreed that extra funding should be given to research on the condition that strictly ethical guidelines are adhered to. On the use of genetic information, there was broad agreement on respecting the 'right to know' and the 'right not to know' following a genetic test, protecting the information revealed by the test and ensuring that it was not disclosed to third parties. This should limit the risk of discrimination on the part of banks or insurance companies against individuals who have undergone genetic testing. UK delegates however emphasised the importance of statistical tools in research, particularly in the field of epidemiology, and stressed that genetic databases are extremely useful in understanding and combating certain diseases. It was suggested that the role of the EU in human genetics and research could be to help lay down clear rules in this field. Scientists in the UK are meanwhile calling for a temporary international ban on human cloning in an attempt to prevent other countries from carrying out reproductive cloning experiments. Therapeutic cloning research, aimed at developing new treatments is legal in the UK, and is supported by the British Royal Society, but scientists fear the implications of this research abroad. 'We think that a ban on reproductive cloning would have public support and is currently justified on scientific grounds,' Royal Society member Professor Richard Gardner is reported as having said. 'It would also help to improve the public's confidence in science,' he said.