This is not acceptable.That no award from the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund may be provided if the otherwise qualified business performs research in Virginia on human cells or tissue derived from induced abortions or from stem cells obtained from human embryos, nor shall any award from the Fund be used for such research. The foregoing provision shall not apply to research conducted using stem cells other than embryonic stem cells.Fortunately, President Obama is moving the country in the right direction on this issue, but what's the deal with the Virginia General Assembly?
P.S. And how on earth did it pass 99-0 in the House and 38-2 in the Senate?
h/t NLS
UPDATE: 47th House of Delegates candidate Miles Grants tweets, "Add stem cells to climate, gay marriage & death penalty on list of issues on which Virginia needs to move into 21st century."
UPDATE #2: Terry McAuliffe weighs in at NLS.
Research conducted using stem cells of all types, including genetically matched embryonic stem cells, represents our best hope for curing diseases like Parkinson’s and diabetes. Now that President Obama has lifted the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, we should do our part to encourage ethically responsible stem cell research at our public universities and state-funded research facilities. As Governor, I will give our scientists the tools they need to cure diseases that devastate our families.
