Washington D.C., Aug 21, 2009 / 04:20 am
A federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines for public funding of human embryonic stem cell research was filed on Wednesday. The suit claims the regulations violate a federal law which bars the institute from funding research in which human embryos are destroyed.
Plaintiffs in the suit include the Christian Medical Association (CMA) and embryo adoption agency Nightlight Christian Adoptions. Dr. James L. Sherley, a senior scientist at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute and Dr. Theresa Deisher, founder of AVM Biotechnology, are also parties to the suit.
The Alliance Defense Fund is serving as co-counsel on the case and is providing financial support.
Thomas G. Hungar, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the language of the statute is “clear.”