[JURIST] The Massachusetts House of Representatives Thursday passed a stem cell research bill 117-37, such a wide margin that it cannot be vetoed by Republican Governor Mitt Romney. The controversial legislation authorizes reproduction of embryonic stem cells, which Romney had publicly condemned as "radical cloning" [Boston Globe report]. The bill had previously passed the state Senate by a wide margin [JURIST report]. Debate over the proposed law had pitted Romney against stem cell research advocacy arounds, including Harvard University [Harvard Stem Cell Institute video] and other leading medical research centers in the state, most of which see stem cell research as offering opportunities for major advances in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease, Altzeimer's Disease, and other intractable illnesses. AP has more. The full text of the legislation as approved by the House is not yet available online.