Clinton ends ban on federal support for research that uses fetal tissue

US Pres Bill Clinton has signed an executive order repealing the five-year ban on the appropriation of federal funds to support fetal tissue research. Former Pres Ronald Reagan imposed the ban in 1988 and was kept intact by George Bush when he assumed the presidency. Biomedical researchers have expressed support for the order, saying that it will redound to the development of treatments for Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The lifting of the ban also puts into question the future of the federal fetal-tissue banks Bush established during his term.