30 May 2008

Row continues over embryos
All of today's papers report on the latest issue dividing the Dutch cabinet. Earlier this week, the deputy public health minister decided to increase the number of inherited genetic disorders that test-tube embryos are tested for. "Row about embryos" screams the front page of De Telegraaf while both AD and Trouw go with the more sober "embryo testing splits cabinet".

At the moment, test-tube embryos are tested for a number of inherited genetic disorders such as Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and Huntington's disease but Deputy Public Health Minister Jet Bussemaker has decided that test-tube embryos can also be tested for aggressive types of colon and breast cancer. Those with genetic disorders will be destroyed while healthy will be returned to the womb.

The deputy minister made the announcement on a Dutch current affairs television programme and not in a letter to the lower house. According to Bussemaker, as it is simply expanding current policy and not introducing a new one, it was unnecessary to discuss it with the cabinet or inform parliament.

This has not gone down well with some members of the coalition and De Volkskrant reports that one Hague insider says that Christian Union leader André Rouvoet is "extremely pissed-off" while another is quoted as saying, "this is a bomb that needs to be rapidly defused".

Illegal immigrants used in agriculture sector
AD reports that huge numbers of Dutch market garden companies are guilty of massive identity fraud in order to employ illegal aliens.

In 2007, the Dutch Social Intelligence and Investigation Service (SIOD) investigated market garden companies and found 266 cases of fraud worth a whopping EUR 63 million.

The companies buy social security numbers belonging to people who do not work such as housewives, and use the numbers to employ illegal aliens to pick fruit and vegetables and do other agricultural work.

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