Tennessee in middle of embryonic stem cell fight | wbir.com

By Christina E. Sanchez, THE TENNESSEAN

Vanderbilt University believes its research on human embryonic stem cells will find cures and save lives.

A Tennessee-based Christian group believes it is saving lives by bringing the research to a grinding halt.

They stand on opposite sides of a debate that swept the nation last week after a federal judge barred government funding of human embryonic stem cell research, saying it was illegal. The Obama administration plans to appeal the decision.

Tennessee has become a key player in the arguments unfolding in court that could decide the fate of research involving human embryos. Even Tennessee's two U.S. senators are divided on the issue.

After filing a federal lawsuit 18 months ago, the Tennessee-based Christian Medical and Dental Association and others involved in the suit are cheering the recent court injunction as a victory on moral ground.

"It's not a matter of if we should be doing regenerative medicine research; it is a question of where we get the stem cells," said Dr. David Stevens, chief executive officer of the representative group for 17,000 medical professionals, headquartered in Bristol in the northeast corner of Tennessee.

"We crossed the line of ethical medicine."

Opponents believe destroying an embryo to harvest its stem cells is the equivalent of taking a human life. They point to adult stem cells, taken from a living donor, as a more ethical alternative.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt researchers, who were surprised by the ruling, say the freeze on their work stymies progress in a promising area of research.

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Tennessee in middle of embryonic stem cell fight | wbir.com