Science Blogging: Nebraska Republican Wants Stem Cell Research

Last year, Nebraska Republican State Senator Joel Johnson, a former surgeon, led a filibuster against a bill supported by his fellow Republicans that would have banned embryonic stem cell research. Nebraska has seen medical research grow over the last few years, and Johnson believes a ban on embryonic stem cell research would have a dramatic negative effect. Johnson has now introduced a bill that would protect embryonic stem cell research. According to The Scientist Magazine, Johnson's bill, LB580, bans reproductive cloning but permits research on embryonic stem cells. (LINK)

Even if his bill does not succeed, Johnson says he is trying to "combat misinformation" by distinguishing between reproductive and therapeutic cloning, letting senators know that embryonic stem cell research doesn't involve farming embryos and selling off body parts... Johnson hopes that his bill... and a growing "shift towards full speed ahead on this research," will convince Nebraska to at least not pass the other proposal that would ban [embryonic stem cell research] entirely.

See, not all Repubs are anti-science.