Gold Dome Live is moving!
Our new spot will allow us to get the news to you even faster and make commenting easier. Please bookmark the new site and sign up for our rss feed:
http://blogs.ajc.com/gold-dome-live/
AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February > 13 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USBill promotes non-embryonic stem cell research
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia lawmakers once again are pushing a proposal to allow any woman who gives birth in Georgia to donate postnatal tissue and fluid to an umbilical cord blood bank or network of such banks for non-embryonic stem cell research.
Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) introduced a bill Tuesday that would establish a Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank in Georgia. All hospitals in the state would be required as of June 30, 2009, to inform pregnant women about the opportunity to donate postnatal tissue and fluid to the bank.
Senate Bill 148, if approved, also would create a 15-member commission to oversee the blood bank. Finally, the proposal offers a tax break to Georgians who contribute to non-embryonic stem cell research.
The bill does not include a ban on embryonic stem cell research or human cloning, but it contains language that expresses reservations about the use of embryos for stem cell research. Notably, the bill states that embryonic stem cell research has been “hampered by difficulties” and that embryonic stem cells have a tendency to mutate into cancers.
It also states that the public policy of Georgia will be to encourage the donation, collection and storage of non-embryonic stem cells for scientific treatment and medical research.
“I believe the cutting edge of science has shifted to pre-natal amniotic stem cells,” Shafer said Tuesday. “They are as potent as embryonic stem cells and easier to control in the laboratory.”
Shafer introduced a similar bill last year that created considerable controversy. The parts of the bill that established an umbilical cord blood bank received near universal support from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, Georgia’s scientific community, advocates for patients with degenerative and chronic diseases, and conservative Christian groups. Human umbilical cords and placenta contain a type of stem cell that has been used to treat diseases.
A ban on human cloning —- a process not yet achieved and widely denounced by scientists and religious leaders alike —- also won wide support.
But a section of the measure that would have banned therapeutic cloning —- a process that many scientists argue may someday hold the cure for diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer and spinal cord injuries —- concerned many individuals and patient advocacy groups.
Shafer eventually removed the controversial language, and the bill passed the Senate and then the House on the final day of the session. The measure needed to come before the Senate for a final rubber-stamp of approval - but the clock ran out.
Gov. Sonny Perdue issued an executive order that resurrected some parts of the bill, but that order will sunset at the end of the year. Shafer said he wants his proposal to gain Legislative approval and become law.
Sen. David Adelman (D-Atlanta), a strong supporter of both adult and embryonic stem cell research, said that he thought Georgia “can do better” after reading Shafer’s bill.
“This bill is fine as far as it goes, but turns a cold shoulder to some of the most promising research,” Adelman said. “ I think adult stem cell research is important, but should not be pursued to the exclusion of embryonic stem cell research. This bill ignores the potential of embryonic stem cell research and disturbingly suggests it should be discouraged.”
Adelman said he soon plans to introduce a bill similar to one he pushed last year that encourages embryonic stem cell research in Georgia.
Permalink | | Categories: Health Care
Services »
