Maine

Maine is not a hub of stem cell research, but it is a state with laws that allow some embryonic stem cell research. Since 2003, Maine law has prohibited research on fetuses or embryos born or extracted alive. This restriction does not apply to pre-implantation, in vitro fertilized embryos. The state also prohibits the sale of a fetus or fetal tissue. Since that time, bills by advocates of stem cell research, and by those rigidly opposed, have been introduced only to die in committee or on the floor of the state legislature. Meanwhile, stem cell research has been ongoing at four research institutions: the University of Maine in Orono, the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, and the Jackson Laboratory. ...