Most IVF clinics turn down such requests, but two leading IVF specialists were quoted in the New York Times as saying that they would refer families to more obliging doctors. The Times interviewed Mary Ellen Little, a dwarf who has two daughters with dwarfism. The second was deliberately selected. Some disabled parents feel that having children who share their problems will strengthen family ties.

A last-ditch effort to amend the bill to remove the possibility of using eggs from aborted girls failed. Supporters argued that the bill would then have to be returned to the Senate, where it might end up stranded in yet another debate. In the end, everything medical researchers and the IVF industry wanted was delivered, apart from permission to create hybrid human-animal embryos.

Australia's leading IVF scientist, Professor Alan Trounson, of Monash University predicted that scientists will be using therapeutic cloning within a year to search for cures for chronic diseases. He and other scientists believe that the first application will be drug development. "Drug screening will be where the first real benefits come," said Dr Paul Verma, of Monash. By using human embryonic stem cells, scientists will be able to bypass animal trials and some drug safety trials and the drugs can reach the market sooner and more cheaply.

Although many politicians who supported the bill spoke of cures for loved ones, sometimes choking back tears, those who knew most about the science were more guarded in their optimism. They tended to insist that therapeutic cloning was needed in the short term for drug development and research. Professor Loane Skene, a lawyer and ethicist who chaired a committee which had looked into the issue, was remarkably frank. "It is often said that scientists overestimate what they can achieve in five years and underestimate what they can achieve in 10. So I've been saying to people it won't be us, you and me or our children, it will be our grandchildren [who will benefit from treatments]".

The maximum penalty for violating conflict-of-interest rules is a year in prison and a US$100,000 fine. Dr Sunderland will probably be told to forfeit what he received. Prosecutors are seeking a two-year suspended sentence. Congressmen are asking why he still has not been fired from his position with the NIH.

Safety is a major concern for ReNeuron. The transplanted cells are genetically modified and could potentially multiply wildly and form tumours. However the company says that this is completely under control. It also claims that only one batch of foetal tissue will be needed to treat unlimited numbers of stroke patients. "We only take one single piece of tissue and for that we can grow up enough cells to potentially treat all eligible patients," says Dr Eric Miljan, ReNeuron's head of stem cell discovery. "And we never have to go back to that tissue again. We can provide a renewable source of cells in order to treat a large patient population."

French politicians, who apparently are unaccustomed to denunciations from clerics, unlike their counterparts in "Anglo-Saxon" countries, were infuriated. "It's not up to the church to put any pressure on families who have recourse to genetic diagnoses, and even less to to make the totality of donors feel guilty," said Manuel Valls, a member of parliament and the mayor of the town where the association is based. Even President Jacques Chirac spoke out in support of the telethon. He welcomed 100 telethon leaders to the Elysée Palace and praised them for giving "honour to morality and to the nation".