The lawsuit contends that these regulations are illegal because they violate the congressional ban on federal funding of human embryo research. The Christian Coalition of America is not a party to this lawsuit, but supports its goal. Every year since 1996, the Congress has enacted the Dickey-Wicker prohibition on federal funding of experimentation on living human embryos. The Federal Government has not yet begun to fund this deadly experimentation. Applications must be submitted by March 15 of next week.
Stem cells are cells that can proliferate and differentiate into many potential cell types.
It is hoped that they may be the source some day for rejuvenating damaged tissues in the body and for treating diseases. In order to isolate embryonic stem cells, the scientist dissects a living human embryo in its earliest stages of development, killing the embryo in the process. The promise of stem cell research need NOT involve the killing of living human embryos. For instance, stem cells, which are referred to as adult stem cells, have been purified from circulating blood and from bone marrrow. Stem cells have also been located in the blood from umbilical cords.