Legislation would tighten stem cell rules

LANSING — Stem cell research, legalized by voter referendum in Michigan last year, faces the possibility of extensive state regulation.

Pending bills would regulate doctors who perform in vitro fertilization. The doctors would need informedconsent documents and would be required to disclose how likely it is that patients’ embryos would be viable after defrosting.

The Michigan Dept. of Community Health, which would receive the viability reports from doctors, said the bills are unconstitutional because they go beyond the voter-approved law. Doctors already submit the same information to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to the department.

“We match our statistics with those of the CDC’s to do morbidity and mortality research,” said James McCurtis, public relations coordinator for Community Health. “If this legislation passes, we will no longer be able to do that.”

Sen. Tom George, RKalamazoo, chair of the Health Policy Committee and a co-sponsor of the bills, disagreed.

He said that there are holes in the current law and it’s the Legislature’s job to fill those holes.

“This legislation is a way to track what’s happening in in vitro fertilization clinics where no one knows what’s going on,” said George, who is an anesthesiologist.

“I don’t see how this hinders doctors or scientific development — it’s ambiguity that’s problematic.”

George said the legislation is controversial but attributes that fact to controversy over the original ballot proposal.

“The real issue here is whether or not you can take embryos and destroy them to make a new cell line,” George said. “Questions about the consent are secondary.”

The Michigan State Medical Society, located in East Lansing, said it doesn’t see any problems at this point with the bills, but said they probably won’t pass.

“Doctors are used to regulation. Our job is to make sure that legislation regulating the doctors doesn’t go so far as to have any unintended consequences,” said Jessy Sielski, public relations coordinator for the society.

He said the organization is neutral on the measure.

Bills have passed the Health Policy Committee and are pending in the Senate.