The two scientists behind the lawsuit that has temporarily blocked federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research said Wednesday they were motivated by ethical objections to destroying human embryos for medical research.

The scientists, James Sherley of Boston and Theresa Deisher of Seattle, had never met until this week, when they flew to Washington to confer with House and Senate aides and lobby against research using embryonic stem cells. They were recruited separately by lawyers looking to challenge the federal policy.

"We have a responsibility and are taught to do ethical research," said Dr. Sherley in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "This is impacting the quality of science in this country."

The dumping of a dead newborn girl in a shoe box in Sydney has prompted calls for "baby safe haven" facilities across Australia .

The NSW opposition's spokeswoman for women and community services Pru Goward believes such havens are long overdue.

"I've never in my lifetime known children being abandoned or murdered in such great numbers as we have at the moment," Ms Goward told AAP on Friday.

"We have to do something about it."

The Australian Medical Association (AMA), church groups and Tasmanian Senator Helen Polley have joined in the call for the facilities that would allow mothers to abandon unwanted babies legally into a safe, caring environment.

The baby girl dumped in the garden of a Strathfield unit block still had its umbilical cord when a gardener discovered her body about 8 am.

The newborn body was wrapped in a towel and jammed in a cardboard box which was partially buried in mulch in a  communal garden area of the Starthbelle apartments in Beresford Rd about 8am.

The same gardener goes through the area each morning.

He told police he is sure the box, measuring 40cm by 40cm, was not there yesterday.

Detective inspector Hans Rupp said police believed the baby's mother used the cover of darkness to discard her baby's body.