In case you missed the news – yesterday the U.S. Court of Appeals finally issued a ruling on the Obama administration’s appeal of a ruling by District Court Judge Royce Lamberth that blocked all current federal funding of embryonic stem cell research due to current federal law (via the Dicky-Wicker Amendment) that prevents the government from funding research that involves the destruction of human embryos. The appellate court has ruled in favor of the administration.

This doesn’t change anything in practice since a stay on the Lamberth ruling was granted pending appeal. This is also not the final word on the matter. Now the ball is literally back in Lamberth’s court for further proceedings or a trial with the final decision probably ultimately coming from the Supreme Court at some point in the future. Let’s hope Lamberth sticks to his guns on this one. His ruling was spot on. If they have a problem with it, it’s Congress they need to talk to (not that I wish they would do that!!), not the Court.

Let me also just say – this is not a reversal of a “ban on ESCR”. Prohibiting the federal government from funding something does not outlaw it.

Previous coverage:
Court Blocks New Fed. Funding for ESCR!
Boo-hoo! Scientists Can’t Destroy Embryos on Taxpayer Dime 🙁
Appeals Court Suspends Federal Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding Ban
ESCR Funding: it’s Primarily About Ethics, not Science