US federal funding to go to stem cell research
Government-funded scientists in the United States of America have got the green light for human stem cell research. 'We cannot walk away from the potential to save and improve lives, to help people literally get up and walk, to do all kinds of things we could never have imagined,' said US President Bill Clinton announcing the change in policy. The controversial decision follows a heated debate over the ethics of cloning human embryos for therapeutic purposes and is strongly opposed by a number of religious groups and the pro-life movement. However, many scientists believe the research could lead to vital new treatments for currently incurable diseases and the US National Institutes of Health says that publicly funded research will be controlled by strict ethical and legal guidelines. Scientists will only be permitted to study stem cells from frozen embryos left over from in vitro fertilisation, when couples have conceived the children they wanted. The legislation also prohibits the 'sale' of embryos. Meanwhile, in Europe, the debate on human cloning and stem cell research is continuing in the wake of UK Government's announcement of plans to push for national legislation in this area.