Senate opponents of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) successfully amended a bill in the Virginia General Assembly which would have promoted the creation and purposeful destruction of living human embryos in order to extract stem cells for experimentation.

By a vote of 23 to 17, human embryonic stem cell research was struck from Senate Bill 1194. The full Senate then passed the bill 40-0.

Virginia Society for Human Life President, Mrs. Brenda Fastabend, stated, “We’re gratified that the Virginia Senate realized Virginians don’t want their tax money used to fund and promote deadly experiments on defenseless, living, human embryos.”

Senate Bill 1194 as amended will be before the House of Delegates to be acted upon.

Founded in 1967, Virginia Society for Human Life is the Virginia affiliate of National Right to Life Committee based in Washington.