CLINTON NIXES U.S. FUNDS FOR EMBRYO RESEARCH

President Clinton today rejected a controversial National Institutes of Health advisory panel's unanimous endorsement of government support ofhuman embryo research-- potentially used to correct infertility and avoid birth defects. "I do not believe that federal funds should be used to support the creation of human embryos for research purposes," Clinton said, continuing a ban first established by President Ronald Reagan. The panel's proposal came over intense opposition from groups that believe human life, for legal purposes, should begin at the moment of conception. The prominent doctors and researchers on the panel moved forward carefully, saying the work should be limited to two-week-old embryos and calling for public education so Americans can come to accept the idea of lab experiments on fertilized eggs. Two-week-old embryos "do not have the same moral status as infants and children," they said, but they do merit "significant respect as a developing form of human life."Post your opinion on theScience & Technologybulletin board.