Stem Cell Research in the Developing World

I'm curious as to why more stem cell research isn't going on in Mexico or Central America. Perhaps the strong Catholic (or Christian) influence in Latin America has meant that laws outlawing most stem cell research (especially since they originally came from embryos) were easily passed in these countries.

My thought is that 1) the countries might have more relaxed standards for research; 2) lower overheads for facilities, staff and materials; and 3) they're close enough to the U.S. that scientists could easily move back and forth to share research or materials.

I'll have to see what I can look up in terms of laws about these matters.