Battle over stem cell bill looms

Over the weekend, President Bush responded to news that Korean researchers had achieved a breakthrough in stem cell research. The President promised to veto any stem cell legislation that seeks to legitimate human cloning. That sets the stage for a battle on Tuesday in Washington between proponents of a bill which would authorize research on embryonic stem cell lines and an alternative bill which would allow work to be done on samples taken from umbilical cord blood only.

Meanwhile, the Korean government is moving quickly to consolidate on its advantage. The Department of Health announced plans to fund further stem cell experiments to follow up on the work. The Korean government says it wants to create an "international consortium" which would bring in foreign researchers -- and outside investment capital -- from other countries. Also in the works: an ambitious plan to set up a "tax free" medical zone on the island of Cheju to encourage patients to travel to Korea for treatment in the future.

- see this story from The New York Times
- see this story from JoongAng Daily (English)
- see this story from the Korea Times (English)

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