Ahern urged to block embryo research

CATHOLIC bishops yesterday personally urged the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to actively oppose a new EU research programme that would fund human embryo research.

In the first face-to-face meeting between the hierarchy and Mr Ahern since he became Taoiseach in 1997, the delegation of six - led by Cardinal Desmond Connell - expressed their outright opposition to guidelines proposed by the EU Commission that would allow funding for stem-cell research on human embryos, created in test-tubes before 2002.

The EU's Council of Ministers will take a final vote on November 29 on whether or not it will allocate 300,000 to stem-cell research.