Davis signs bill to allow stem-cell research in California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation Sunday to allow embryonic stem-cell research in the state, a direct contradiction of federal limits on the research.

Davis has said the legislation is essential to keep California at the forefront of medical research. He was joined at the ceremony by actor Christopher Reeve, who has become a medical-research activist since he was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident seven years ago.

The bill was opposed by the Roman Catholic church and anti-abortion groups, who say the research is tantamount to murder because it starts with the destruction of a human embryo.

Stem cells, which are found in human embryos, umbilical cords and placentas, can divide and become any kind of cell in the body.

Last year, Bush restricted federal funding for human embryonic stem-cell research to a select number of existing cell lines. Critics say many of those stem cells are in poor condition and are useless for research.

Sen. Deborah Ortiz authored the bill that states California will explicitly allow embryonic stem-cell research, and allows for both the destruction and donation of embryos.

The bill requires clinics that do in-vitro fertilization procedures to inform women they have the option to donate discarded embryos to research. It requires written consent for donating embryos for research and bans the sale of embryos.

Valuable research

Ortiz and supporters of her bill say the research could be valuable in curing or alleviating chronic and degenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and spinal cord injuries.

The move will attract "the best and the brightest" researchers to California, said Larry Goldstein, a professor at University of California San Diego, and halt the migration of stem-cell researchers to other countries where it is permitted.

Congress hasn't acted on any stem-cell research bills, or a bill to ban human cloning, and Ortiz said there was still a question over whether California's law would be pre-empted by a federal statute.