DOJ to Appeal Stem Cell Ruling

The Department of Justice said Tuesday it would appeal a federal judge's temporary block on embryonic stem cell research. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth's Monday ruling put a halt to President Barack Obama's expansion of research done on cells derived from embryos that would be disposed of after in vitro fertilization. Lamberth cited a 1996 law known was the Dickey-Wicker amendment that barred funding, although President George W. Bush loosened the restrictions in 2001 and Obama further expanded funding for the research, which many consider essential to help with spinal cord injuries. Grants worth up to $54 million will not be distributed due to Lamberth's ruling, and the National Institutes of Health said another $15 to $20 million in payments that were under consideration before the ruling would also be withheld.