Press Releases

In its opinion published today concerning the topic of the proscriptions against incest, the majority of the members of the German Ethics Council advocate that consensual intercourse between adult siblings should in future not be treated under criminal law.

In the estimation of the German Ethics Council, the most recent developments in stem cell research require no urgent legislative measures in addition to the ban on cloning. Nonetheless, the Council sees a need for clarification in regard to the far-reaching ethical and legal questions that arise particularly in conjunction with two possible areas of application for new stem cell technologies.

The German Ethics Council will host the 11th Global Summit, a biennial gathering of national ethics committees from all over the world, in 2016. This was decided at the 10th Global Summit in Mexico City on 24th June 2014.

What challenges do the procedures offered by reproductive medicine represent for our understanding of self-determination, family and society? Should the creation of so-called three-parent babies be allowed? What individual and social problems and opportunities might egg donation and surrogacy, as well as long-term egg freezing, bring to the women, children and families involved? And what needs for political action may arise from this? At its Annual Meeting in Berlin on 22 May, the German Ethics Council discussed these and many other questions together with speakers, three members of the Bundestag and more than 350 guests.

During a plenary session held on 8 May 2014, the German Ethics Council conducted a public hearing concerning research on human embryonic stem cells created by somatic cell nuclear transfer and on induced pluripotent stem cells, and discussed the legal challenges that might arise from it.

How shall we deal appropriately with research that aims to contribute to medical progress or other important goals of society, when the results might also be misused by bioterrorists or other criminals? In its opinion on this question, "Biosecurity – freedom and responsibility of research", the German Ethics Council presented today five recommendations to the Federal Government and the public. They range from implementing educational programmes on biosecurity and the development of a national biosecurity code of conduct for responsible research to proposals concerning binding regulations and international initiatives.