A research institute in Virginia creates the embryos solely for research purposes; The issue arouses public and political controversy in the US; the opponents: the destruction of embryos is an injury to human life, it is "satanic" research
Scientists in Virginia in the US have created human embryos for the first time, purposely intended for medical experiments. The scientists at the Virginia Fertility Clinic combined donated eggs with sperm cells to create embryonic stem cells - the type of cells at the center of the public controversy in the US over federal funding of medical research.
The experiment was carried out at the Jones Medical Institute in Norfolk, Virginia - a privately funded institute. Experts in the US said that this is not a significant scientific advance, since embryonic stem cells have already been isolated in the past from frozen embryos that were abandoned by their parents. However, this is the first time that parts of human embryos have been created solely for research purposes.
The research is expected to have political ramifications, as it is being carried out at a time when the Bush administration is considering whether to fund embryonic stem cell research with public funds. Supporters of the research claim that it may provide new cures for various diseases. Opponents of the study, who are among the opponents of abortion in the US, claim that the destruction of the fetuses after the study is a violation of human life.
