Monday, February 05, 2007

Now here is some good news

From the ABC News website:
Uni to vote on church's demand for stem cell research ban

The University of Sydney is considering complying with a church request to ban a new medical research centre from conducting embryonic stem cell research.

The university wants to buy land from the Catholic Church to build the Institute of Health and Medical Research.

The church's deed on the land stipulates there should be no foetal stem cell research or procedures involving the termination of human life or artificial creation of it.

The president of the Student Representative Council, Angus McFarland, says it is outrageous a health and medical research facility would be banned from such research.

"I'm really concerned that is going to be compromising academic freedom," he said.

"To build a medical research centre on land where you are not allowed to ever, ever engage in human stem cell research or any sort of research that involves the artificial creation or termination of life - I think it's a very limiting thing for the university to do."

The university's Senate will vote tonight on whether to accept the conditions.
I sit on the equivalent of the Senate at the University of Adelaide. The choice is simple - comply or don't buy, and they would be silly not to buy!