Stem-cell ethics.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS

Virginia lawmakers have voted to fund stem cell research in the name of Christopher Reeve, but to limit the study to sources other than embryos such as bone marrow or umbilical cord blood.

Financial support for the Christopher Reeve Stem Cell Research Fund will come from state appropriations or other public and private funding. The legislature also established a joint subcommittee to study medical, ethical and scientific policy matters. It will look at the effect of restrictions on the creation of in vitro fertilized embryos for purposes other than childbirth, compensation for egg and sperm donation for purposes other than procreation, and the efficacy of research on adult stem cells rather than embryonic stem cells.

At least three other states have considered funding stem cell research on adult cells only, which some lawmakers view as a promising alternative to embryonic stem cell research--and one with fewer ethical pitfalls. A few states...