U.K. lawmakers voted to let scientists use stem cells derived from hybrid human-animal embryos in medical research.

As part of two days of debate on changes to laws on fertility research, members of Parliament voted 336 to 176 against an amendment to ban the use of hybrids. Prime Minister Gordon Brown allowed members of his party to vote with their consciences after church leaders condemned the plans as immoral.

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Catholic Conservative lawmaker Ann Widdecombe said there was no proof that animal-human hybrid embryo research would save millions of lives and argued that by mixing cells scientists are changing the nature of life.

``It is creating an entirely new type of life, it is not like having, for example, a pig's valve put in your heart later in life,'' she said in an interview. ``There should be a greater focus on collecting umbilical cords for research; we should be putting our money there -- it's an umbilical cord, not a life.''

source: bloomberg.com