THE "GOLD standard" when it comes to stem cell research should be work that does not destroy human life, the Pro-Life Campaign said yesterday.
However, others working in the field of stem cell research said the publication of the Irish Council for Bioethics (ICB) research yesterday was a welcome development, and said there was a significant amount of "misinformation" being circulated on the subject matter.
Commenting on the publication of the report yesterday, the Pro-Life Campaign claimed the council had engaged in "pretend morality" by stating that the human embryo has "significant moral value" but not "full moral status."
"The human embryo is not potential human life. It is human life with potential and has a unique and inherent value," Dr Audrey Dillon of the Pro-Life Campaign said.
"Instead of making destructive embryo research available here, Ireland should seek instead to become a centre of excellence for adult stem research, which is ethically acceptable and scientifically promising."
Dr Dillon said the ICB report had gone against the "overwhelming views" of the submissions it had requested.
Meanwhile, both Youth Defence and the campaign group Family and Life also criticised the ICB for choosing to ignore the findings of its own public consultation process.
In an article on its website, Family and Life encouraged individuals to contact their local TDs and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, to express their concern about the ICB's report.
However, Dr Siobhán O'Sullivan, scientific director of the ICB, last night strongly rejected these criticisms.
It had been made clear to all participants that the public consultation process was just that, and not a "public poll", Dr O'Sullivan said.
The ICB had committed to include the viewpoints of all participants in the final report, and had honoured this commitment, she added.
"We don't do our business on the basis of 'who gets the most votes wins'," Dr O'Sullivan said.
"This is the view of 13 people who sat down to consider these issues."
Also speaking at the launch in the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin, Dr Stephen Sullivan, a researcher based at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in the US, said it was unfortunate that there were some people who were "willing to forgo integrity" and say things which were simply not medically and scientifically validated.
The use of embryos produced during IVF, which otherwise would be destroyed, respected the embryo "by using it for the good of society", Dr Sullivan added.