FRANKFURT, July 12, 2002 (LSN.ca) Germany's Federal Cabinet on Wednesday issued legal regulations for a new embryonic stem cell research law, a law similar to that of the United States. Under the new regulations researchers are not permitted to use human embryonic stem cells from Germany but are permitted to import such stem cells. Further, approval for such imports will be given only for “high-ranking” goals for which there are no alternatives to using embryonic stem cells.
The law stipulates penalties for infringement of up to 3 years in prison or fines up to 50,000 euros. Similar to US directives, only embryonic stem cells that date from before Jan. 1, 2002, can be imported into Germany.
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