Patients and Protesters Attend CIRM Trial

The LA Times update on the first day of the CIRM trial paints a vivid picture: As the trial got underway, half a dozen patients in wheelchairs who might benefit from stem cell research lined the small courtroom southeast of San Francisco. Philanthropists who support the research and religious conservatives who oppose it were also […]

The LA Times update on the first day of the CIRM trial paints a vivid picture:

As the trial got underway, half a dozen patients in wheelchairs who might benefit from stem cell research lined the small courtroom southeast of San Francisco. Philanthropists who support the research and religious conservatives who oppose it were also present.

The lawsuits have blocked spending on research, leaving patients such as Karen Miner, 54, of Dixon, frustrated. "I understand if you are opposed for religious reasons," she said. "So then don't take the cure. But don't deny me."

The trial, which Judge Bonnie Lewman Sabraw is hearing without a jury, is expected to last about a week.