Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists . Cormac Murphy O'Connor said politicians had failed to consider the ethical implications of their decision to loosen laws limiting such medical research which some claim is a step towards cloning people. Germany currently bans the production of human embryos and has urged its scientists to focus human cell research efforts on other less controversial technologies.
British lawmakers reject claims that the move is a step on the road to cloning human beings.
The measure which was passed on Tuesday has not yet completed the legislative process. Cell-based treatments are expected to open a new chapter of medicine, raising the hope of prevention or cure for ailments from Parkinson's disease to diabetes. The amendment to the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act passed 366 to 174 in the House of Commons. Before the vote, government officials downplayed the connection between the change and concerns about human cloning. Human reproductive cloning is illegal and must stay illegal.