Embryonic Stem Cell Research Controversy: Focus on the Private Sector and International Sphere

Despite its tremendous potential for curing various maladies, embryonic stem cell research has not received full funding support from the federal government due-to intense ethical debate surrounding the status of embryos. While the United States has been busy grappling with ethical issues, the private sector and the rest of the world have been making significant progress without stringent government oversight. This Note demonstrates the likely consequences of current federal and state regulations in the U.S. regarding stem cell research and the need for adequate safeguards. Because withholding government funds from stem cell research does not eliminate moral and ethical objections, the U.S. should use federal funding to regulate the private sector and achieve faster and more efficient progress. Federal funding provides a solution for potential abuse in the unregulated privately funded research and a way to keep up with the rest of the world while ethically regulating stem cell research