South Carolina

SOUTH CAROLINA, AS do many other states, finds itself in the midst of the national stem cell debate. The nature of the debate is largely tied to embryonic stem cell research, as well as to the 2001 cell line restrictions. Issues have been further complicated by the fact that many embryonic stem cells are often destroyed as medical waste following in vitro fertilization treatments. This seemingly suggests that one form of destruction appears acceptable, but research use is not. In addition, the restrictions on federal funding have seen several states take up the financial challenges themselves to preserve their research position. Many within the field feel that the 2006 presidential veto and the National Institutes of Health's permitted embryonic cell lines do not offer enough ...