(From SciDev.net). Arab League states are moving towards a ban on therapeutic cloning, a necessary technology for most developing stem cell medicine. This is very disappointing, as the still-pending global United Nations ban was averted the first time with the help of representatives from these same nations. An Arab League ban would make a UN ban later this year much more likely - an event with grave consequences for our future. Stem cell based regenerative medicine is a vital stepping stone on the way to greatly increased healthy life spans, not to mention the source of therapies for Parkinson's, diabetes, nerve damage, muscle and bone loss, and many other degenerative conditions of aging.
Link: http://www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=1421&language=1