The White House has annouced that President Barack Obama will lift the eight-year ban on embryonic stem cell research today. This is good news for science and medicine.

The previous administration had not completely banned research on stem cells but instead imposed serious restrictions. In 2001, President Bush made it a requirement that federal funding could only be awarded to stem cell research if it met the following criteria:

• The derivation process (which begins with the destruction of the embryo) was initiated prior to 9:00 P.M. EDT on August 9, 2001.
• The stem cells must have been derived from an embryo that was created for reproductive purposes and was no longer needed.
• Informed consent must have been obtained for the donation of the embryo and that donation must not have involved financial inducements.

Filed under: Health Policy