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Government Appeals Ruling Blocking Stem Cell Research Funding

1 year ago
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The Obama administration filed papers Tuesday to block a court ruling preventing use of government funds for embryonic stem cell research.

"The government is seeking a stay of the court's injunction to prevent the irreparable human and financial harm that could occur if these life-saving research projects are forced to abruptly shut down," Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler told CNN.

The motion to stay was filed with U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth, who last week granted the injunction pushed for by opponents of research in which embryos are destroyed.

Justice Department lawyers asked the judge to grant the stay by Sept. 7. If he doesn't, the government said it will appeal in U.S. Circuit Court, according to CNN.

"The court's order causes irrevocable harm to the millions of extremely sick or injured people who stand to benefit from continuing research as well as to the taxpayers who have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on this research," a Justice Department statement said.

The Food and Drug Administration last month approved rules that would allow human subjects to be used to test a treatment of spinal cord injuries derived from embryonic stem cells. The research was put on hold just weeks later by Lamberth's injunction.

Researchers believe embryonic stem cells have great promise in medicine because they're so resilient and malleable. Embryonic stem cells can turn into any type of cell in the body, which may mean they can someday be used to create replacements for injured or diseased tissues.

The cells have been controversial because creating them has required the destruction of human embryos, although researchers say they now avoid that practice, according to The New York Times.
Filed Under: Health Care

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tbot48

Rabbi, There are a lot of laws in this world and just because they exist does not mean they are good laws and must be respected or even liked...This particular law was a Bush era law designed to styme a future policy change... The people spoke so get the hail out of the way because we the people are taking back our world... When Bush put a stop to stem cell research, some very promising test were being done in the area of heart regeneration and new growth of veins and aterial support of the heart... As a survivor of 7 MI's and two open heart surgeries, not to mention being diabetic, I was very hopefull... Then GWB did his thing and there was a loud collective cry of dispair... There are many sides to this story rabbi, It's not the single issue thing you would want it to be...

September 01 2010 at 10:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Patty

Embryonic stem cell is a failure...a disaster....allllllllllll their private monies dried up because it was such a catastrophe....adult stem cells are doing the curing and working - spinal cord injuries, growing livers, cancers, etc. etc....embryonic has to go to public coffers since all their private investors left them since their research was a nothing..................to keep their failures going.

September 01 2010 at 9:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jody

As a retired nurse I can testify that we need this research to save thousands of lives - why would anyone deny the right of this? I do hope that Judge who seems to have no heart on this matter never needs the advancement of medicine to save one of his family members. I would much rather our tax dollars go to this rather than to decorating the Oval office - now that is a waste of tax payer money.

September 01 2010 at 9:11 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
rabbichaimmoshe

the article is a distortion of fact. #1)the law of this country prohibits this 2)there is no evidence whatsoever that this could cause any harm as there are other just as viable and available stem cells such as from placentas. 3)the law was created to prevent abuse of the unborn which certainly suffer by considering them as body parts.the logical conclusion of this lawsuit will be the "harvesting" of functional body parts from fetuses. 4)this lawsuit shows the disrespect this administration has for laws that it disagrees with. it will do as iot pleases whether it is illegal or not. instead of lobbying to repeal the law it hides behinds the bogus claim of scientific benefit. mengele also was a scientist whose experiments were enlightening to science while inflicting death and suffering to others. science is not immune to the rules of humanity. if the administration wishes to aver that a fetus is not a living entity,then this president who asserted that this concept was beyond his payscale should announce his change of mind.

September 01 2010 at 8:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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