This afternoon, the National Institutes of Health issued new draft guidelines for federal financing of embryonic stem-cell research. Federal funding will be allowed for research on embryos from fertility clinics that would otherwise be discarded. Federal funds will not go towards the creation of embryos solely for research purposes or therapeutic cloning. The guidelines also say that donors must be told the options for the use of embryos and if they decide to donate the embryos to stem-cell research, must provide written consent.

The NIH announcement followed President Obama's executive order in March, which lifted a Bush-instituted ban on funding for any stem cell lines created after September 2001.

It is important to correct misinformation on such a sensitive issue. Contrary to claims following Obama's executive order that "the President's new policy will allow cloning of human embryos for research," the regulations stipulate that federal funding may not be used for such purposes.

Rather, only leftover embryos from fertility clinics can be used for research, which, according to the Washington Post, could account for "hundreds of embryonic stem cell lines that had been off-limits for the past eight years."

As we've noted before, many religious groups support ESC research. The United Methodist Church (America's second largest protestant denomination), every major Jewish denomination (including Orthodox), the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association are all officially in favor of embryonic stem cell research.

The new NIH guidelines will be open to a 30-day public comment period. Denominational statement of support for ESC research are below the fold.

The United Methodist Church's official position states that

...Given the reality that most, if not all, of these excess embryos will be discarded--we believe that it is morally tolerable to use existing embryos for stem cell research purposes. This position is a matter of weighing the danger of further eroding the respect due to potential life against the possible, therapeutic benefits that are hoped for from such research...

The Religious Action Center says,

the Jewish tradition teaches us that preserving life and promoting health are among the most precious of values... Indeed, our tradition requires that we use all available knowledge to heal the ill, and "when one delays in doing so, it is as if he has shed blood" (Shulchan Aruch, Yorei De`ah 336:1).

The Presbyterian Church (USA)'s statement says,

[We] affirm the use of fetal tissue and embryonic tissue for vital research. Our respect for life includes respect for the embryo and fetus, and we affirm that decisions about embryos and fetuses need to be made with responsibility... With careful regulation, we affirm the use of human stem cell tissue for research that may result in the restoring of health to those suffering from serious illness.

The Orthodox Union said in a letter to President Bush,

The potential to save and heal human lives is an integral part of valuing human life from the traditional Jewish perspective. Moreover, our rabbinic authorities inform us that an isolated fertilized egg does not enjoy the full status of person-hood and its attendant protections. Thus, if embryonic stem cell research can help us preserve and heal humans with greater success, and does not require or encourage the destruction of life in the process, it ought to be pursued.

The proposed NIH guidelines codify what many religious groups have long supported-- a careful balance where unused embryos can be used for life-saving research, but with clear boundaries on the creation of embryos for the sake of research.