Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
5.1.3 Globalregulatorydisparity
In many jurisdictions around the world, regulating hESC research
came to a head at the same time as the debates over the use of federal
funding occurred in the US. As with the debate in the US, in most
other locations the core questions around the development of
regulations for hESC research were about the moral and ethical
values attached to the research. Consequently, a global patchwork of
regulations has emerged over the last decade (Walters, 2004; Isasi
and Knoppers, 2006). Significantly, however, as regulations develop
over time, they have also been observed to become increasingly less
restrictive rather than more (Isasi and Knoppers, 2006).
In the UK, the debate over the use of human embryos dates back to
the mid-1980s and Dame Mary Warnock's Report into human
fertilization and embryology (Warnock Report, 1984). The Warnock
Report (1984) recognized that human embryos are special entities but
that they could be used for medical and scientific purposes under
properly controlled conditions. Key findings of the Warnock Report
included that a new statutory body be established to monitor
developments around assisted reproduction and embryo research and
to issue licenses for the use of human embryos (1984: 80). The Human
Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) was established in
1990 and has been responsible for administering licences for fertility
services and research involving human embryos.
hESC research in Israel is reportedly not the ethically contentious
issue that it is elsewhere in the world, and Israel is thought to have some
of the world's most liberal regulations as a result (Prainsack, 2006).
Despite having bans on reproductive cloning for safety reasons, there is
no specific mention of hESC research under Israeli law (Prainsack,
2006). This divergence of Israeli law with other jurisdictions around the
world is attributed to the influence of Jewish principles (Prainsack,
2006). The main concern for hESC research is that the embryo outside
a woman's body is not recognized as being alive (Prainsack, 2006).
In Australia, the regulation of human cloning and human
embryonic stem cell research was hotly debated across the country
around the same time as the Bush decision. Like in the US, the
debate in Australia was polarized around those who believed that
