Embryonic stem cell ruling overturned

THE Obama administration can continue using federal tax dollars to fund human embryonic stem cell research, an appeals court has ruled, overturning a judge’s decision and handing a victory to the White House.

The White House said the ruling was a victory for scientists and patients.

“Today’s ruling is a victory for our scientists and patients around the world who stand to benefit from the groundbreaking medical research they’re pursuing,” Nicholas Papas, a White House spokesman, said.

A federal judge ruled last year that the US National Institutes of Health guidelines on such research violated the law as embryos are destroyed in the process and it put other researchers working with adult stem cells at a competitive disadvantage for federal grants.

In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court overturned the judge’s ruling, saying the US law was “ambiguous” and “did not prohibit funding a research project in which an ESC (embryonic stem cell) will be used”.

The case emerged from two researchers who opposed work with embryonic stem cells and sued to block such funding. They argued they were squeezed out of federal grants for their own work with adult stem cells.