Supreme Court rejects challenge to embryonic stem cell policy

Cheryl Wetzstein | Washington Times | January 10, 2013

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The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not hear a case challenging the Obama administration’s guidelines on embryonic stem-cell research.

The move is certain to delight scientists who are eager to win grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore cures for disease using a broader range of embryonic stem-cell lines. But it disappoints pro-life groups and others who see such research as immoral or ineffective.

Congress passed legislation in 1996 “to ensure that Americans don’t pay any more precious taxpayer dollars for needless research made irrelevant by adult stem-cell and other research,” said Steven H. Aden, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). “We had hoped the U.S. Supreme Court would uphold [the law’s] clear intent.”