Institutes of Health, the President of the United States has the final responsibility and authority to set federal government policy for funding human embryonic stem cell research. But Congress has appropriations authority and can vote to override the President's decision [Source: National Institutes of Health].

Most states do not restrict the use or derivation of embryonic stem cells. More states have decided to actively fund embryonic stem cell research with state taxpayer dollars than have decided to legally restrict embryonic stem cell research. A growing list of states have explicitly legalized and funded embryonic stem cell research include California, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Connecticut. Many other states, like Massachusetts and Missouri , have legalized the research but have so far stopped short of funding it. States that have legally restricted embryonic stem cell research include Michigan , South Dakota , North Dakota , Louisiana and Iowa .

No. It is illegal to use federal funds to derive new embryonic stem cell lines, though it is legal under federal law and under the laws of most states (with the exception of Michigan and South Dakota) to use state funds or private funds to derive new embryonic stem cell lines.

Yes. Many scientists are funded to study the 22 human embryonic stem cell lines that were created before 2001. But those cells are simply not sufficient for much of the work that must be done to understand development and disease. These lines do not mirror the ethnic and racial diversity in our society. Work that depends on these lines therefore runs the risk of developing new therapies that only work in white people. Moreover, all of these lines are contaminated with mouse cells and could be prohibited from use in patients by the Food and Drug Administration. Finally, none of these lines can be used to model inherited human diseases.

In July 2006, President George W. Bush vetoed a federal bill that would have expanded the number of cell lines that could be studied using federal funds. This legislation had received broad bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, though not quite enough support to over-ride the Presidential veto.

Research on human embryonic stem cells is also legal in the United States with private funds. However, basic scientific research in the U.S. rarely occurs without federal funding because venture capitalists and other investors rarely finance projects that are years, if not decades, away from producing successful outcomes. A few private foundations are investing in stem cell research, according to Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. But that's not enough to keep pace with the rest of the world, Still notes [Source: “Fact and Friction: Putting election-year stem cell claims under the microscope,” August 7, 2006, by Tom Still].

The advantages of federal funding for stem cell research are two-fold. First, federal funding will allow many more scientists, including our nation's most prominent researchers, to conduct this critical research, which will hasten the discovery of therapies. Second, federal funding will ensure public oversight and accountability among researchers receiving federal grants. They will be required to adhere to strict guidelines that do not govern private sector research. They are also required to make their results public [Life Sciences at University of Michigan Research ].