The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine was created in 2004 to fund stem cell research, after the federal government stopped paying for most experiments with human embryos. Now the state agency is considering underwriting another controversial use of embryos that the federal government won’t support — editing their genes.
Tag: stem cell research
European Union Debates Initiative on Embryo Protection
A packed hearing on a petition calling for the protection of human embryos led to a rare outbreak of raucous exchanges in the European Parliament on Thursday — a sign that the battles over abortion and stem cell research that divide nations like Spain and the United States are making a serious incursion into European Union affairs.
Abortion Viewed in Moral Terms: Fewer See Stem Cell Research and IVF as Moral Issues
Regardless of their views about the legality of abortion, most Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue. By contrast, the public is much less likely to see other issues involving human embryos – such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization – as a matter of morality.
Alan Trounson, California’s Doctor Stem Cell
In 2004, with President George W. Bush dead set against stem cell research, California just went ahead and did it. Voters made stem cell research a state constitutional right, and endorsed $3 billion in bond sales for 10 years to cement the deal. CIRM, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine created under Proposition 71, has become a world center for stem cell research, and its president is Australian Alan Trounson, a pioneer in in vitro fertilization. As Proposition 71 approaches its 10-year anniversary, Trounson offers a prognosis.
The Line Between Embryonic and Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Is Blurring
Over at Stem Cell Network, Paul Krzyzanowski wonders whether Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will be asked about their support for stem cell research during the presidential debates.
He notes one reason the topic may not be broached is that many think the ethical debate about stem cell research is over. Read full article.