Bloomberg Law
Aug. 4, 2022, 4:25 PM UTC

State ‘Personhood’ Laws Threaten Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Jeannie Baumann
Jeannie Baumann
Reporter

Biomedical scientists using embryonic stem cells or fetal tissue could find their studies at risk in conservative states aiming to redefine personhood after the US Supreme Court’s rollback of abortion rights.

These states would give embryos and fetuses the same rights as people. A provision in Georgia’s new abortion law includes embryos, once there’s a detectable heartbeat, which is at about six weeks, and fetuses in population counts. The laws primarily are intended to focus on abortions, but they have downstream consequences on a range of issues, including biomedical research.

“They’re not thinking through the other possible consequences of declaring ...

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