human-animal embryo's green light

According to BBC News, UK has given green light to the creations of human-animal hybrid embryos for research in September 2007.
There was a revolt by scientists, medical researchers and even patient groups when the government tried to outlaw almost all research into animal-human embryos. Currently, in the UK, the research is back by Nobel prizewinners, the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the Commons science and technology committee, and the government's chief science adviser.

The laws in other other countries are:

Australia - Embryos allowed to be created for research, but human-animal hybrids banned. The only exception is to test the quality of sperm

Canada - Legislation bans the creation of human-animal embryos

US - Federal funds can only be used for research involving pre-existing embryos - such as those left over from fertility treatment - and there is a ban on hybrid embryos

Elsewhere - Other countries do not specifically legislate on hybrid embryos. But Italy and Germany only allow the use of pre-existing embryos and many others including Austria, Norway and Tunisia do not allow embryo research at all


"This is not a total green light for hybrid research, but recognition that this area of research can, with caution and careful scrutiny, be permitted."

laws

There is no federal law banning human cloning altogether.
according toNational Conference of State Legislature.
Only federal funding of research involving cloning for the purpose of reproduction or research is prohibited.
FDA now claims authority over regulations on human cloning<= they do not approve for safety reasons.
But Congress has not passed a law to confirm FDA's authority.

Four primary sources for embryonic stem cells:
-existing stem cell lines
-aborted or miscarried embryos
-unused in vitro fertilized embryos
-cloned embryos
There are different laws for attaining from each of sources.

National Reasearch Councileand Institute of Medicine of the National Academies have created this Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in April 2005. It is merely a set of ethical standards instead of a set of laws.
There is also an Amendments to the document in 2007.