Attorney General: Stem Cell Law Exempt From Voter Repeal
       Citing provisions of the constitution that exempt laws dealing with religious matters from repeal by the voters, Attorney General Thomas Reilly on Monday informed those hoping to repeal the state’s new embryonic stem cell research law that their proposal is invalid.
       In a letter to Secretary of State William Galvin, who had asked for his opinion, Reilly said the exemption is triggered by the inclusion in the law of language exempting workers from collecting umbilical cord blood and placental tissues donated by maternity parents for research purposes due to "sincerely held religious practices or beliefs." A similar exemption is included in the law for workers who do not wish to be involved in scientific research involving pre-implantation embryos due to "sincerely-held religious practices or beliefs of the employee." The Legislature passed the law sanctioning embryonic stem cell research over the morally based objections of Republican Gov. Mitt Romney. Those who agreed with Romney had taken the initial steps toward placing a repeal question on the statewide ballot.