BioWorld International Correspondent

MUNICH, Germany - Four of the five political parties in the German parliament have agreed on the text of a proposed law that would forbid the cloning of human embryos.

Edelgard Bulmahn, the social democratic minister for education and research, said, "In this sensitive question we have been able to reach a broad parliamentary consensus." Joining the social democrats were the Green party, junior partners in the ruling coalition, and the conservative Christian democrats, who are in opposition. Dissent came only from the libertarian-leaning Free Democratic Party.

Under the law all forms of cloning human embryos would be prohibited. Germany already has very strict regulations on embryos, laid out in the Embryo Protection Act of 1990. The provisions of that act have led to controversies and legal uncertainties for researchers working on stem cells, and it is sometimes cited as a competitive disadvantage for German institutions and companies involved with reproduction-related research.

Minister Bulmahn added that she would work toward an international ban. The prohibition, in her view, should be reached quickly, should have the broadest possible reach and should be supported by all countries. "Success in [international] negotiations will depend on how convincing our arguments are," she added. The Ministry of Education and Research agreed that therapeutic cloning is not looked upon as negatively in other countries as it is in Germany.

Under a February 2002 ruling from a House of Lords Select Committee, therapeutic cloning of human embryos is not forbidden in the UK. The committee found that with current technology, some key medical questions could be addressed only with research based on cloning embryos.

Guidelines from the European Union prohibit its funds being used for research that arises from cloned embryos. On the other hand, a May 2002 opinion from the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies, which advises the EU's executive branch, noted the scientific potential of therapeutic cloning and recommended only caution, along with continuing the EU's ban on patenting procedures for cloning human embryos.

Sweden and the Netherlands have less strict regulations on research involving embryos, while Ireland, like Germany, has comprehensive restrictions. According to the UK Select Committee on Stem Cell Research, most other EU countries permit research using surplus embryos. Where there are rules they limit permissible research to early embryos up to 14 days (15 days in the Netherlands). A number of governmental or quasi-governmental agencies have been created to oversee and in some cases license such research. The relationship between embryos "left over" after in vitro fertilizations and those created specifically for research purposes is one much explored by legislatures, but no clear consensus has emerged in European practice.

The German ministry is convening an international conference in Berlin in May to advance its position.