US federal money now available for human embryonic stem cell research

The Obama administration is set to allow researchers the ability to both create new lines of human embryonic stem cells and conduct research with these cells. 

Reproductive cloning, the process of allowing DNA copied from one individual to be inserted into stem cells, brought to term and born will remain illegal.

Current US policy, in place since 1996, was cemented into place at the start of the 2001 GW Bush presidency.  Despite two US regulatory agencies advocating policies and laws permitting the use of existing stem cell lines for research - or a step further, allowing the production of new stem cell lines, the Bush administration made a decision on Christain moral grounds to only allow federal funds to be used for research on already existing stem cell lines.  

While money from private sources has remained available since 2001, researchers who wish to have access to US federal funds have had to seperate their government funded work from any of their undertakings which are privately funded. In some cases, this has resulted in the duplication of expensive equipment within a lab.

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to divide and transform themselves into other type of cells within the human body. 

Many researchers believe that allowing open creation and research on human embryonic stem cells will lead to medical breakthroughs.  Controversially other groups (many religiously motivated) are opposed to research on stem cells based on moral principles.

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