Madam, - So a "moral philosopher" lauds the president and governing body of University College Cork for its recent move on embryonic stem-cell research ( The Irish Times, November 25th). Just in case UCC authorities feel flattered by that support, I note that the "moral philosopher" is Baroness Mary Warnock.
This is the same lady who recently wrote an article entitled "A Duty to Die" and said in an interview with the magazine Life and Work: "If you're demented, you're wasting people's lives - your family's lives - and you're wasting the resources of the National Health Service."
On continued medical treatment for seriously ill babies, she had earlier said: "I am not ashamed to say some lives are more worth living than others. Maybe it has come down to saying: 'OK, they can stay alive but the family will have to pay for it.' Otherwise, it will be an awful drain on public resources."
Everyone supports research into finding cures for chronic diseases and disabilities. But rather than following the socially divisive approach adopted by UCC, the Government should introduce legislation to prohibit embryo research but also aim to make Ireland a world leader in the field of ethically non-controversial and scientifically promising adult stem cell research. - Yours, etc,