Massachusetts lawmakers approve embryo cloning research

Legislation authorising research on embryonic stem cell (ES) cells was passed by both the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives last week. The state Senate approved the bill by an overwhelming 35-2 votes on Wednesday, then the state House approved its version by 117-37 votes the following day. The result means that the legislature has the two-thirds majority needed to override any veto from Governor Mitt Romney.

The bill, sponsored by Senate President Robert Travaglini, would ban human reproductive cloning but would allow human embryos to be created for research using CNR (cell nucleus replacement). Scientists hope to use this technique, known as therapeutic cloning, to develop genetically-matched stem cell therapies for a range of diseases. The bill would also set up a stem cell advisory committee to oversee ES cell research and establish safeguards.

State lawmakers are now expected to appoint a conference committee to iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the legislation. Once this is done, the bill is expected to go to Romney 'in a few days', according to the New York Times. Romney has pledged to veto any bill that permits the cloning of human embryos for research, but it is still likely to become law, because both chambers passed the bill with the necessary two-thirds majority needed to override such a veto.

According to the Times report, supporters of the bill argued that if Massachusetts did not authorise and encourage human ES cell research, then scientists based at Harvard University and the Children's Hospital in Boston would move to states like California or New Jersey, which have passed laws pledging state funding for such work. Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Romney, claimed that 'it's not over yet', saying that the governor hoped the Senate and House would be unable to agree on a final version of the bill.

A growing number of US states are drawing up their own laws governing ES cell research, the result of increasing dissatisfaction with President Bush's policy on this issue. On 9 August 2001, he ruled that federal funds could only be used for research on human ES cell lines derived before that date. The latest state to pass legislation providing financial support for ES cell research is Maryland, which has passed a bill that would set aside $23 million annually for this purpose.