CGS-authored
The board that administers New York's stem cell research funding program recently approved using state money to pay women who donate fresh oocytes for an experimental technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer, also known as therapeutic cloning.
The policy makes New York the first American government body, state or federal, to use taxpayer dollars to do more than reimburse egg donors for direct expenses incurred in donating. Opponents of the move said it would encourage women to undertake a painful, sometimes risky procedure for speculative research.
The board, however, "felt it was a good thing to step forward and move in that direction and perhaps be viewed as a leader," said David C. Hohn, MD, vice chair of the Empire State Stem Cell Board's ethics and funding committees.
"We looked seriously at the fact that there are places where direct expenses are reimbursed, and the number of people who are coming forward as donors is extremely small," said Dr. Hohn, executive director of health policy at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York. "The clear lack of funding seemed...
The policy makes New York the first American government body, state or federal, to use taxpayer dollars to do more than reimburse egg donors for direct expenses incurred in donating. Opponents of the move said it would encourage women to undertake a painful, sometimes risky procedure for speculative research.
The board, however, "felt it was a good thing to step forward and move in that direction and perhaps be viewed as a leader," said David C. Hohn, MD, vice chair of the Empire State Stem Cell Board's ethics and funding committees.
"We looked seriously at the fact that there are places where direct expenses are reimbursed, and the number of people who are coming forward as donors is extremely small," said Dr. Hohn, executive director of health policy at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York. "The clear lack of funding seemed...