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A bill to further restrict abortion in Oklahoma and another to make embryonic stem cell research illegal both cleared a House committee on Wednesday, despite concerns from a doctor on the panel. While activists gathered at the Capitol for the annual anti-abortion Rose Day rally, the House Public Health Committee voted mostly along party lines to approve both bills. An exception was Rep. Doug Cox, a Grove Republican and an emergency room physician who opposed both measures. One bill would increase from 24 to 72 hours the amount of time a woman must wait before receiving an abortion after receiving...

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for the ALS Association is sweeping the nation, and going viral in social media. However, do you know what you are supporting if you contribute funds to the ALS Association? The ALS Association describes their “mission”: Established in 1985, The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front.  By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life...

Obama Admin Suggests More Embryonic Stem Cell Funding Washington, DC -- Taking advantage of an appeals court ruling striking down an injunction against his forcing Americans to pay for embryonic stem cell research, the Obama administration is looking at more funding. http://LifeNews.com/bio-3232

Direct Conversion May Make Embryonic Stem Cell Research Obsolete New York, NY -- Scientists made a major step towards making embryonic stem cell research obsolete when they used direct reprogramming to convert adult stem cells to an embryonic-like state. Now direct conversion is moving the ball forward. The process of direct conversion involves changing one kind of specialized stem cell into another kind -- and it eliminates the need for controversial embryonic stem cells, which some scientists promote because they can change into most any kind of cells. http://LifeNews.com/bio-3220

Obama Admin Okays Second Trial of Embryonic-Like Stem Cells in Humans Washington, DC -- The Obama administration today approved the second trial involving the use of human embryonic stem cells on patients despite significant problems in animal studies. http://LifeNews.com/bio-3216

Media Misreporting: Embryonic Stem Cells Not Involved in Geron's New Testing by David Prentice In its usual style, Geron has put out a press release that it has injected the first patient for its trial of embryonic stem cells for spinal cord injury. Of course their main goal is to increase their stock price and cash flow from investment. Not about science, not about helping patients. After all, this is just an announcement that the patient has been injected with millions of cells. No results, no peer-reviewed publication, nada. Contrary to what most of the news stories report, Geron is...

New Poll Finds Americans Continue to Oppose Tax Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- As Congress considers potential legislation that would repeal the law a federal judge has cited as standing in the way of the executive order President Barack Obama issued to force taxpayers to finance embryonic stem cell research, a new poll shows Americans don't want their tax dollars used to fund it. http://www.lifenews.com/bio3180.html

Obama Admin Scurries to Fund Embryo Destruction After Court Ruling Washington, DC -- An appeals court has overturned the temporary injunction a federal judge put in place stopping the Obama administration's taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. With perhaps just days before the judge potentially issues a permanent injunction, Obama officials are scurrying to fund more research. http://LifeNews.com/bio3172.html

Appeals Court Allows Obama to Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research During Suit Washington, DC -- A federal appeals court overturned the decision of a federal judge to keep an injunction in place disallowing the Obama administration to pay for embryonic stem cell research with taxpayer dollars while a lawsuit against the executive order President Barack Obama issued proceeds. http://LifeNews.com/bio3169.html

Judge Won't Let Obama Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research During Lawsuit Washington, DC -- A federal judge has denied a request by the Obama administration to allow it to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research while it defends President Barack Obama's executive order from a lawsuit alleging it violates federal law. http://LifeNews.com/bio3166.html

NIH Tells Some Embryonic Stem Cell Researchers to Ignore Judge's Ruling Washington, DC -- A federal judge has struck down the executive order President Barack Obama issued forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. The Obama administration has appealed the decision, but the National Institutes of Health has issued new guidelines that have pro-life advocates concerned. http://LifeNews.com/bio3159.html

Obama Appeals Ruling Stopping Tax-Funded Embryonic Stem Cell Research Washington, DC -- The Obama administration officially filed its appeal today of a federal judge's decision striking down President Barack Obama's executive order forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. The judge said the order contravened a federal law against funding the destruction of human embryos. http://lifenews.com/bio3157.html

Poll: 57% of Americans Oppose Tax Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Washington, DC -- On the week in which a federal judge ruled that President Barack Obama's executive order forcing Americans to pay for embryonic stem cell research with taxpayer funds violates a federal law, a new poll shows a majority of Americans opposed tax-funding the controversial and unproven research. http://LifeNews.com/bio3152.html

Democrat Pushes Bill to Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research After Ruling Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A member of Congress who has been the leading advocate for forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research says she plans to move ahead with legislation that would make such funding federal law. Representative Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, is responding to a judge's decision issuing a temporary injunction against the funding President Barack Obama mandated through his executive order. http://LifeNews.com/bio3149.html

[Complete Title] Virginia Attorney General Offers Legal Opinion That Could Expand State Oversight of Abortion Clinics Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued a legal opinion Monday that could pave the way for greater restrictions on the state's abortion clinics. ... "The state has long regulated outpatient surgical facilities and personnel to ensure a certain level of protection for patients. There is no reason to hold facilities providing abortion services to any lesser standard for their patients. Even pharmacies, funeral homes, and veterinary clinics are regulated by the state," [Brian Gottstein said. Brian Gottstein is the spokesman for Attorney General Ken...

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Obama administration Monday from using federal dollars to fund expanded human embryonic stem cell research, saying the research involves the destruction of embryos. The ruling comes after the National Institutes of Health last year issued new guidelines permitting federal funding for research on certain stem cell lines that had already been created. ... U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that despite attempts to separate the derivation of human embryonic stem cells from the research process, "the two cannot be separated" because culling those stem cells destroys an embryo. ...

A U.S. district judge granted a preliminary injunction Monday to stop federal funding of embryonic stem cell research that he said destroys embryos, ruling it went against the will of Congress. The ruling by Judge Royce C. Lamberth was a blow to the Obama administration, which last year issued guidelines to allow federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Lamberth's ruling said all embryonic stem cell research involves destroying embryos, which violates the Dickey-Wicker Amendment included in federal spending bills. "The Dickey-Wicker Amendment unambiguously prohibits the use of federal funds for all research in which a human embryo is destroyed,"...

In a defeat for embryonic stem cell research proponents, New Jersey voters rejected a ballot measure Tuesday that would have forced taxpayers to spend $450 million on the destructive research. Pro-life groups campaigned against the proposal because it would also have funded human cloning experiments. Residents of the northeastern state defeated Public Question # 2 with 53 percent of the vote coming in against it. Marie Tasy, the head of New Jersey Right to Life, told LifeNews.com the result is a major defeat for Governor Jon Corzine, who personally campaigned for this Question and contributed $200,000 to a shadow group...

WASHINGTON — A U.S. district court issued a preliminary injunction Monday stopping federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research in a slap to the Obama administration's new guidelines on the sensitive issue. The court ruled in favor of a suit filed in June by researchers who said human embryonic stem cell research involves the destruction of human embryos. Judge Royce Lamberth granted the injunction after finding that the lawsuit would likely succeed because the guidelines violated law banning the use of federal funds to destroy human embryos. "(Embryonic stem cell) research is clearly research in which an embryo is...

Judge Forces Obama Admin to Stop Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research Washington, DC -- A federal judge on Monday issued a decision forcing the Obama administration to stop funding embryonic stem cell research with taxpayer funds. The judge ruled the executive order Obama issued allowing such funding contravened a federal law prohibiting taxpayer funding of the destruction of human embryos. http://LifeNews.com/bio3145.html