The Congress of the ELDR Party,
Considering that freedom of scientific research is an objective that cannot be renounced in a democratic and secular state governed by the rule of law; such liberty is nevertheless often violated or affected by laws and political choices inspired by ideological prejudices and religious dogma;
Commits the ELDR Party to directly sustain through its member Parties reforms aimed at:

• allowing, through limits and strict rules, such as the British example, scientific research on embryonic stem cells (including somatic cell nuclear transfer) aimed at the understanding and the cure of diseases which afflict hundreds of millions of people in the world;
• allowing access to assisted conception and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for couples who suffer from genetic diseases, in addition to in vitro fertilisation using donor sperm;
• guaranteeing therapeutic freedom, at the level of the relationship between doctor and patient, in the prescription of pharmaceuticals which have been tested and are authorised in many countries, but in some others are restricted or prohibited, such as: the abortion pill RU 486, therapeutic cannabis, pharmacological treatments (including heroin administered under medical control) for drug addicts, and marijuana as pain relief;
• allowing the individual autonomy and responsibility in end-of-life decisions, first of all by ending the clandestine practice of euthanasia by guaranteeing respect for the freely and unequivocally expressed individual will, also through the adoption of directives of treatment and forms of regulation of euthanasia based on the Dutch, Belgian, or Swiss models, or on the draft legislation being examined by the British parliament;

The removal of unreasonable prohibitions is the premise for research investment policies and constitutes an essential element of every strategy for economic, civil and democratic development. Scientific methods - based upon empirical analysis and not on ideological prejudices - can and must be adopted by politicians and liberal democracies, such as a secular method of choosing government solutions to problems of our times affecting the individual and his relationship with society and the environment. Secularisation of institutions and separation between State and Church is a prerequisite both for the exercise of rights and individual liberties and for peaceful coexistence among peoples.