WASHINGTON, April 21 (UPI) -- Growing U.S. interest in embryonic stem cell research has produced some 100 bills in 33 states, USA Today reported Wednesday.
In California, for example, there is a voter initiative in November that could pump nearly $3 billion over 10 years into such research.
"There is a tremendous amount of legislation flying around on one area of medical research. It is remarkable and unprecedented," says Dan Perry of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, a collaboration of 83 patient groups, universities and medical organizations that support the research.
The activity, which includes at least 100 bills in 33 states, comes despite President Bush's decision three years ago to limit federal spending on stem cell research.
Not all of the state initiatives are positive; some seek to block stem cell research on moral or ethical grounds.
Human embryonic stem cells are like blank slates. Early in a pregnancy, they turn into all of the body's specialized tissues and organs.
If produced from cloned cells genetically identical to a recipient, embryonic stem cells could in theory be grown into rejection-free transplant organs, although the technology does not yet exist to do so.
