Obama Order on Stem Cell Research Funding Wins Praise in California
California scientists praised President Obama's executive order expanding federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
The move reverses an order by former President George W. Bush.
In 2004, California voters approved Proposition 71 to provide $3 billion for stem cell research partly to sidestep federal funding restrictions for the research (Hurst, AP/Contra Costa Times, 3/9).
Supporters of stem cell research hope that California research centers will have an advantage in winning federal grants for stem cell research because of the groundwork that Proposition 71 helped lay (Tansey, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/10).
Robert Klein, author of Proposition 71 and chair of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine's Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee, was among the attendees at Obama's signing ceremony yesterday (Somers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3/10).
Beyond the academic sphere, stock prices for Bay Area firms specializing in stem cell research jumped after Obama signed the executive order (Morrill, Contra Costa Times, 3/9).
What's Changed?
In addition, the Los Angeles Times published an overview of what Obama's executive order means for federal funding for stem cell research (Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 3/10)
Broadcast Coverage
On Monday, KCRW's "Which Way, L.A.?" included a discussion on President Obama's executive order with:
- William Hurlbot, a member of the President's Council on Bioethics;
- Klein;
- Arnold Kriegstein, director of the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program at UC-San Francisco; and
- Jesse Reynolds, a policy analyst at the Center for Genetics and Society (Olney, "Which Way, L.A.?" KCRW, 3/9).
KPCC's "Air Talk" included a discussion of the policy change with:
- Carrie Gordon Earll of Focus on the Family;
- Hans Keirstead of UC-Irvine;
- Klein; and
- Kriegstein (Mantle, "Air Talk," KPCC, 3/9).
KQED's "Radio News" also included a discussion about the decision with Kriegstein (Musiker, "Radio News," KQED, 3/9).
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