Editorials Call Ruling on Stem Cell Research Regrettable

U.S. District Judge Royce Lambert's recent ruling to block federal funding of embryonic stem cell research "could not only jeopardize American medical science but the health of millions of patients worldwide" because the ruling "omits the fact that embryonic stem cells have great promise in treating diseases for which there is otherwise little hope, and his ruling will seriously delay the quest for cures," a Los Angeles Times editorial states. Meanwhile, a San Francisco Chronicle editorial argues that the Obama administration is rightly "planning an appeal" and that Congress should "easily clarify things by simply passing a stem cell funding bill."

• "Stem-Cell Setback" (Los Angeles Times, 8/26).
• "Judge's Ruling Sets Back Stem Cell Research" (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/26).