Stephen Hawking Condemns Bush Stem Cell Veto

Prof Hawking, who has motor neurone disease, said the EU should not follow the "reactionary lead" of the US president, George Bush, who last week used his power of veto to scupper a controversial bill that would have lifted a ban on US federal funding for stem cell research. The academic, who is Lucasian professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge, said ahead of today's crucial European Council meeting: "Stem cell research is the key to developing cures for degenerative conditions like Parkinson's and motor neurone disease from which I and many others suffer. The fact that the cells may come from embryos is not an objection, because the embryos are going to die anyway.

"It is morally equivalent to taking [away the potential for] a heart transplant from a victim in a car accident."

Prof Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, said he was "pleased" that "people are now using stem cells for motor neurone disease, but I'm not holding my breath".