Judge: U.S. government can fund stem cell research
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LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. government can continue to fund embryonic stem cell research, a federal district judge ruled Wednesday in Washington.
The decision by Judge Royce C. Lamberth threw out a 2009 lawsuit challenging an Obama administration policy expanding funding for the research, which had been limited under former President George W. Bush.
The plaintiffs, researchers James Sherley and Theresa Deisher, argued that funding embryonic stem cell research violated federal law. At first, Judge Lamberth agreed with them, ordering an injunction in August 2010 to stop the research while the case continued.
Funding for the work was halted, stoking uncertainty for scientists. Many worried that not knowing what backing would be available would have a chilling effect on research that aimed to find cures for a variety of common conditions, including Alzheimer's and heart disease.
Within weeks, a U.S. Court of Appeals panel overturned Judge Lamberth's injunction, writing that the plaintiff's case was unlikely to succeed. In Wednesday's ruling, Judge Lamberth deferred to the appeals court's interpretation of the law.
Dr. Sherley and Ms. Deisher can appeal the ruling, although they'll first have to face the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which has already ruled against their argument.
For the time being, advocates for stem cell research rejoiced. "Today's ruling should finally put an end to any legal questions over the federal government's ability to fund human embryonic stem cell research," Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said in a statement. "A cloud over this promising scientific field has been lifted."
First Published July 28, 2011 12:00 am
