Court Refuses To Lift Preliminary Injunction Against Stem Cell Funding Guidelines

D.C. federal district judge Royce Lamberth yesterday issued an order in Sherley v. Sebelius (full text) refusing to lift, pending appeal, his preliminary injunction against applying the Department of Health and Human Services' guidelines expanding permitted federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research. (See prior posting.)  Observing that "defendants are incorrect about much of their 'parade of horribles' that will supposedly result from the Court's preliminary injunction," the Order indicates that the preliminary injunction does not affect previously funded projects and does not deal with whether NIH could return to the narrower Bush administration guidelines. AFP reports on the decision.