British politicians and more than two hundred medical research charities and patient groups have today (April 5) united to support British scientists in opposition to a government plan that could forbid the use of enucleated animal eggs to produce human stem cells for research.The House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee published a report criticizing the proposed ban, which could be included in upcoming draft legislation in May."Our report is really quite explicit that the research into cytoplasmic hybrid embryos should go ahead now ... and that the proposed legislation that comes into the House in May should be permissive," the Committee chair Phil Willis told The Scientist.A coalition of 223 research charities and patient groups, some of which fund research, also added their voices to the debate, sending a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair saying that the research was needed to overcome a shortage of human...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!