Senator Lathrop Brokers Stem Cell Compromise
Mar 26, 11:08 AM CST
Democratic State Senator Steve Lathrop of Omaha did what many thought couldn’t happen: find common ground between stem cell researchers at UNMC and Nebraska Right to Life.
His hard work came to fruition when Governor Heineman signed the legislation yesterday:
Groups that wrangled for years to prevent any human cloning in Nebraska breathed easier Tuesday after state lawmakers gave final approval to a compromise on stem cell research…
No one voted against the bill (LB606) from the Judiciary Committee, which was quickly signed by Gov. Dave Heineman. An emergency clause puts it into immediate effect.
The measure prohibits the use of state money or facilities for creating or destroying embryos for stem cell research using a technique commonly referred to as therapeutic cloning. At the same time, the new law allows research using existing lines of stem cells to continue and assures university officials they won’t face further restrictions in the Legislature anytime soon.
Chip Maxwell, Executive Director of Nebraska Coalition for Ethical Research, had this to say in an email entitled “Lathrop for Nobel Prize”:
The Nebraska Coalition for Ethical Research congratulates Nebraska State Sen. Steve Lathrop on brokering what some said was impossible – a compromise on stem cell research that all parties could accept. He engaged both sides and held on to complete a wild ride of negotiation that produced something concrete and positive in research policy. The proposed limitation on what NCER calls “clone–and–kill” research is not comprehensive, but it blocks such research in the public sector. That possibility is what prompted the effort to ban cloning in the first place. We will be alert for efforts to pursue such research in the private sector, but for now we salute Sen. Lathrop and a significant achievement in research policy in Nebraska.
Congratulations should be extended to Senator Lathrop and everyone else involved for showing Nebraska what leadership in government really looks like.
If you’d like to send Senator Lathrop a quick note of thanks, email him at slathrop@leg.ne.gov.
– by Eric Van Horn | Send this to a friend
