Nobel Prize: Vatican lashes out at test tube award

“Vatican accuses Nobel”, headlines Corriere della Sera. On 4 October, the Nobel prize for medicine was awarded to Robert Edwards, the British biologist who pioneered IVF in the late 70s. The news has made all Italian front pages because of harsh criticism from Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, head of Pontificial Academy for Life. “A misguided choice”, he lamented. “Without Edwards… there would not be a large number of freezers filled with embryos in the world.” But even centrist and Catholic-friendly Corriere sides with Stockholm: “It’s a hugely deserved prize”, declares geneticist Edoardo Boncinelli. “Those who oppose this choice don’t understand Edwards’ fundamental contribution to the promotion of life”.

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