Relates to the duties of the ethics committee of the empire state stem cell board

6 Co-sponsors

• John J. Flanagan
• Martin J. Golden
• William J. Larkin Jr.
• Kenneth P. LaValle
• Thomas P. Morahan
• Dale M. Volker

Title of bill

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the duties of the ethics committee of the empire state stem cell board

Purpose

To amend New York State Public Health Law, Article 2, Title 5-A, establishing the Empire State Stem Cell Board, to ensure that the ethics committee established in the statute is given authority to establish ethical standards for grant awards and for all medical, socioeconomic, and financial aspects of clinical trials and therapy delivery to patients, and to exercise oversight of the funded stem cell research projects across the state.

Summary of provisions

Amends subdivision 2 of section 265-c of the public health law by providing clarification of the responsibilities of the New York State Stem Cell Ethics Committee.

Justification

The ethics committee of the Empire State Stem Cell Bond is statutorily changed with making "recommendations to the funding committee regarding scientific, medical, and ethical standards" for stem cell research projects to be funded by the state. Created in the state budget in 2007, the ethics committee first met to deliberate in late fall of the same year (November 30, 2007), only after the funding committee had already approved a request for applications for research projects.

The ethics committee unanimously recommended a 6-month moratorium on funding controversial research - the creation of new human embryonic stem cell lines, the creation of human-animal hybrids, human cloning for research, etc. - so that the committee could discuss, debate and decide the ethics as they were charged to do. Two weeks later, in mid-December, the funding committee rejected this call for a temporary moratorium, and in the first week of January 2008, the first round of stem cell research grants were awarded.

The Empire State Stem Cell Board, in haste to move research forward, has ignored the advice of its own ethics committee and given that body little to no time to do the serious contemplative work it has the responsibility to do under law. Ethics committee members, like New York's citizens, hold diverse views on controversial aspects of stem cell research. The citizenry deserves careful, detailed, honest ethical review of how $600 million in taxpayer money will be spent in the field of regenerative medicine.

The role of the ethics committee should not be merely advisory. Each and every application for funding must adhere to the ethical standards established by the ethics committee and the ethics committee must be given oversight authority to ensure compliance. This legislation would accomplish that objective.

Legislative history

S.8401/A.11611 of 2008

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

Immediately.