Swiss support stem cells

Voters in Switzerland on Sunday (November 28) overwhelmingly supported a new law already approved by Parliament that will allow extraction of stem cells human embryos up to 7 days old to be used for research.

The law, approved last December by the Swiss Parliament, was challenged by the Green Party and by anti-abortion groups, who collected enough signatures to force a nationwide referendum on the issue. On Sunday, 66.4% of voters backed the new law after an aggressive campaign by the government the past 2 months encouraging citizens to vote in support of the law, which will take effect in March.

Anita Holler, scientific collaborator with the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, told The Scientist: "We are very pleased that the majority of the Swiss population accepted the law on human embryonic stem cells. We rate the clear result as a positive indication for Switzerland as a science center."

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