AUG. 15, 2005
UPDATED JULY 17, 2006
UPDATED AUG. 28, 2006

BIOETHICS
Can a new technique resolve the stem cell impasse?

STATE BY STATE
• For the status of stem cell legislation in your state, search the National Conference of State Legislatures' Genetics Legislation Database.
• See the National Conference of State Legislatures' page on State Embryonic and Fetal Research Laws to see a summary of laws and proposed legislation around the country. It is updated monthly.
• The National Institutes of Health Stem Cell Information includes links to research centers around the country.
• The National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors opposes embryonic stem cell research. A listing of state chapters is available on the group's web site.
• The National Right to Life Committee opposes embryonic stem cell research. The group offers a listing of state chapters on its web site.
• NARAL Pro-Choice America supports embryonic stem cell research. The group offers a list of state affiliates on its web site.

IN THE NORTHEAST
• George Daley is a stem cell biologist with the Whitehead Institute and Harvard Medical School. He supports a bill that would allow embryonic stem cell research in Massachusetts. Contact 617-258-7209, daley@wi.mit.edu.
• Margaret A. Farley is a professor of Christian ethics at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. She wrote the chapter "Roman Catholic Views on Research Involving Human Embryonic Stem Cells" for The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate (MIT Press, 2001). Contact 203-432-5355, margaret.farley@yale.edu.
• Ronald M. Green is a professor of religion at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. He wrote The Human Embryo Research Debates: Bioethics in the Vortex of Controversy (Oxford University Press, 2001). Contact 603-646-3141, Ronald.M.Green@dartmouth.edu.
• Thomas Anthony Shannon is professor of religion and ethics at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. He wrote Made in Whose Image?: Genetic Engineering and Christian Ethics (Humanity Books, 2000) and co-wrote New Genetic Medicine: Theological and Ethical Reflections (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003). Contact 508-831-5468, tshannon@wpi.edu.
• Lisa Sowle Cahill is a professor of theology at Boston College. She wrote the chapter "Stem Cells and Social Ethics: Some Catholic Contributions" for Stem Cell Research: New Frontiers in Science and Ethics (University of Notre Dame Press, 2003). She also wrote the article "Religion Based Perspective on Cloning of Humans" for the journal Ethics and Medicine (1998). Contact 617-552-3890, Lisa.Cahill@bc.edu.

IN THE EAST
• The Rev. Ronald Cole-Turner is a professor of theology and ethics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He co-edited God and the Embryo: Religious Voices on Stem Cells and Cloning (Georgetown University Press, 2003) and edited Human Cloning: Religious Responses (Westminster John Knox Press, 1997). Contact 412-441-2170, coleturn@pts.edu.
• J. David Bleich is a professor at the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York. He co-edited Jewish Bioethics (KTAV Publishing House, 2000). Contact 212-790-0294, bleich@ymail.yu.edu.
• Arthur L. Caplan is a professor of bioethics and director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He wrote Am I My Brother's Keeper?: The Ethical Frontiers of Biomedicine (Indiana University Press, 1997). Contact 215-898-7136, caplan@mail.med.upenn.edu.
• Rabbi Aaron L. Mackler is associate professor of theology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He edited the book Life and Death Responsibilities in Jewish Biomedical Ethics (Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2000). Contact 412-396-5985, mackler@duq.edu.
• George P. Smith II is professor of law at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He wrote Human Rights and Biomedicine (Kluwer International, 2000). Contact 202-319-5140, smithg@cua.edu.
• The Rev. John Langan is a professor of philosophy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He wrote the entry "Stem Cell Research and Religious Freedom" for Stem Cell Research: New Frontiers in Science and Ethics (University of Notre Dame Press, 2003). Contact 202-687-6746, langanj@georgetown.edu.

IN THE SOUTH
• Wendy Baldwin is vice president for research at the University of Kentucky in Louisville. She has argued before the Kentucky state legislature in favor of embryonic stem cell research. Contact 859-257-5294, vpr@email.uky.edu.
• E. Christian Brugger is an assistant professor of ethics in the department of religious studies at Loyola University New Orleans. He wrote the essay "Embryos, Clones and Stem Cells" for the New Oxford Review (Vol. 70, No. 9, Oct. 2003). Contact 504-865-3063, ecbrugge@loyno.edu.
• Scott C. Williamson is assistant professor of theological ethics at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He wrote the article "The Ethics of Human Cloning and Its Implications for the Family: A Few Preliminary Matters" for the journal Family Ministry: Empowering Through Faith. Contact 800-264-1839 ext. 483, swilliamson@lpts.edu.

IN THE SOUTHEAST
• Read a Feb. 4, 2005, Washington Post article on a Virginia Senate panel approving a bill for stem cell research funding.
• James F. Childress is professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He co-wrote Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 5th Edition (Oxford University Press, 2001). Contact 434-924-6724, Childress@virginia.edu.
• Mary Jo Iozzio is professor of theology and philosophy at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. She edited Considering Religious Traditions in Bioethics: Christian and Jewish Voices (University of Scranton Press, 2000). Contact 305-899-3944, miozzio@mail.barry.edu.
• Timothy Mark Renick is associate professor of philosophy at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He wrote the article "A Cabbit in Sheep's Clothing: Exploring the Sources of Our Moral Disquiet About Cloning" for the journal Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics. Contact 404-651-0723, trenick@gsu.edu.
• John C. Fletcher is a professor emeritus for the Center for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He wrote the entries "The Stem Cell Debate in Historical Context" and "The NBAC's (National Bioethics Advisory Commission) Arguments on Embryo Research: Strengths and Weaknesses" for The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate (MIT Press, 2001). Contact 703-566-1144, jcf4x@Virginia.edu.

IN THE MIDWEST
• Read a March 9, 2005, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on a Washington, D.C., meeting of state biotechnology leaders on the impact federal limits on stem cell research have on state economies.
• Read a March 11, 2005, article on the web site LifeNews.com on efforts in Nebraska to limit and expand stem cell research.
• Read a March 18, 2005, State Journal-Register article on placing a stem cell research funding referendum on Illinois' November 2006 ballot. The article is on the Anabaptist Center for Healthcare Ethics web site.
• Gilbert C. Meilaender is professor of theology at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind. He wrote the article "Some Protestant Reflections" for The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate (MIT Press, 2001). Contact 219-464-5340, gilbert.meilaender@valpo.edu.
• Laurie Zoloth is a professor of medical humanities and bioethics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She co-edited The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate: Science, Ethics and Public Policy (MIT Press, 2001). Contact 312-503-4621, lzoloth@northwestern.edu.
• Gerard Magill is executive director of the Center for Health Care Ethics at St. Louis University. He edited Genetics and Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Study (Saint Louis University Press, 2004) and wrote the article "The Ethics Weave in Human Genomics, Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Cloning: Promoting and Protecting Society's Interests" for the Albany Law Review (2002). Contact 314-577-8195, magill@slu.edu.
• M. Therese Lysaught is associate professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton in Ohio. She wrote the article "What Would You Do If …? Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and the Defense of the Innocent" for Stem Cell Research: New Frontiers in Science and Ethics (University of Notre Dame Press, 2003). Contact 937-229-2079, lysaught@notes.udayton.edu.
• Brent Waters is associate professor of Christian social ethics for the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. He co-edited God and the Embryo: Religious Voices on Stem Cells and Cloning (Georgetown University Press, 2003). Contact 847-866-3933, Brent.Waters@garrett.edu.
• James M. Childs Jr. is a professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. He wrote the 1991 article "Genetics, ethics and the human future" for the Trinity Seminary. Contact 614-235-4136, jchilds@trinity.capital.edu.
• Dena S. Davis is a professor at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University in Cleveland. She wrote the article "Informed Consent for Stem Cell Research in the Public Sector" for the Journal of the American Medical Women's Association. Contact 216-687-2312, dena.davis@law.csuohio.edu.
• Gerald P. McKenny is an associate professor of Christian ethics for the University of Notre Dame. He wrote the article "Religion, Biotechnology, and the Integrity of Nature: A Critical Examination" for Religion and Biotechnology: Critical Perspectives (Georgetown University Press, 2000). Contact 574-631-4520, Gerald.P.McKenny.4@nd.edu.
• Jefferson McMahan is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He wrote the article "Cloning, Killing and Identity" for the Journal of Medical Ethics. Contact 217-333-7229, jmcmahan@uiuc.edu.

IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Ronald A. Carson is a professor and director of the Institute for Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He co-edited Behavioral Genetics: The Clash of Culture and Biology (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999). Contact 409-772-2376, racarson@utmb.edu.
• B. Andrew Lustig is a research scholar and director of the Program on Biotechnology, Religion and Ethics at Rice University in Houston. He wrote the article "Human Cloning: Created Co-Creation or Hubris?" for Considering Religious Traditions in Bioethics: Christian and Jewish Voices (University of Scranton Press, 2001). Contact 713-348-2231, alustig@rice.edu.
• Daniel B. McGee is a professor of ethics at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He wrote the article "A Consistent Center for Bioethics" for the Theological Educator: A Journal of Theology and Ministry. Contact 254-719-6316 ext. 6316, daniel_mcgee@baylor.edu.
• Jane Maienschein is a professor of history and philosophy of science at Arizona State University in Tempe. She wrote Whose View of Life?: Embryos, Cloning, and Stem Cells (Harvard University Press, 2003). Contact 480-965-6105, maienschein@asu.edu.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff is professor of bioethics and philosophy at the University of Judaism in Bel Air, Calif. He wrote the article "Angles of Vision - Stem Cell Research: A Jewish Perspective" for The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate (MIT Press, 2001). Contact 310-476-9777 ext. 255, edorff@uj.edu. (Ed. note: The University of Judaism merged with Brandeis-Bardin to become American Jewish University in 2007.)
• John Hyde Evans is assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, San Diego. He wrote Playing God?: Human Genetic Engineering and the Rationalization of Public Bioethical Debate (University of Chicago Press, 2000). Contact 858-534-4972, jhevans@ucsd.edu.
• Karen Lebacqz is professor emeritus of theological ethics at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. She co-edited The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate: Science, Ethics and Public Policy (MIT Press, 2001) and co-authored Ethics and Spiritual Care: A Guide for Pastors, Chaplains and Spiritual Directors (Abingdon Press, 2001). Contact 510-849-8250, klebacqz@psr.edu.
• Michael M. Mendiola is associate professor of Christian ethics for the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. He wrote the article "Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Possible Approaches from a Catholic Perspective" for The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate (MIT Press, 2001). Contact 510-848-0528, mmendiola@psr.edu.
• Dr. Irving Weissman is head of the stem cell research program at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. He opposes an effort to repeal California's law legalizing embryonic stem cell research. Contact 650-723-6520, irv@stanford.edu.
• Suzanne Holland is associate professor of religious and social ethics at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. She co-edited The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate: Science, Ethics and Public Policy (MIT Press, 2001). She also wrote the article "Genetics, Difference and Disability" for the Florida State College of Law Review (2003). Contact 253-879-3750, sholland@ups.edu.