More US states in favour of stem cell work

Three more American states have announced plans to consider measures next year that would permit embryonic stem cell (ES cell) research and therapeutic cloning, despite the fact that the federal government has not yet finished debating the issue. President Bush is known to favour a federal ban on all forms of cloning, and has set limits on the use of embryonic stem cells in research.

Earlier this year, the state government in California approved legislation allowing ES cell work to take place in the state, and this was supported by the state governor, Gray Davis. Now, similar bills have been introduced in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and a stem cell research bill is soon to be introduced in Massachusetts. A report in the Los Angeles Times suggested that other states may follow with similar proposals as they are just beginning to decide their agendas for the upcoming year.

In most states, ES cell research, including that using cloned embryos, is already legal as long as it is privately funded. But the lawmakers hope that by explicitly authorising it, they can encourage more investors. Richard Codey, state senator of New Jersey, said 'our intent is to bring as many research people into the state as we can... This sends a message that we want stem cell research to start and continue in our state'.

In August last year, President Bush announced that stem cell research supported by federal funds could only take place on stem cell lines that were already in existence at that time. Congress is currently considering bills that include various proposals that would ban human cloning for both reproductive and research purposes. If a federal ban on the creation of embryos were passed, it would override any state legislation.