This is priceless. I'm glad not so much because this contradicts claim by the right that this somehow ends the debate on the ethics of funding embryonic stem cell research, but because of the terrible coverage given by the media, who many times ignored the fact that Thomson (main doctor involved in the discovery) said it's too soon to give up on embryonic stem cell research.
Here are some great excerpts from
Thompson's op-ed in the Washington Post, written along with Alan I. Leshner who is chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and executive publisher of the journal Science:
At a time when nearly 60 percent of Americans support human embryonic stem cell research, U.S. stem cell policy runs counter to both scientific and public opinion. President Bush's repeated veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which has twice passed the House and Senate with votes from Republicans and Democrats alike, further ignores the will of the American people.
In the same way, the recent tandem advances in the United States and by Shinya Yamanaka's team in Japan are far from being a Holy Grail, as Charles Krauthammer inaccurately described them. Though potential landmarks, these studies are only a first step on the long road toward eventual therapies.
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Krauthammer's central argument -- that the president's misgivings about embryonic stem cell research inspired innovative alternatives -- is fundamentally flawed, too.
Reprogrammed skin cells, incorporating four specific genes known to play a role in making cells versatile, or pluripotent, did seem to behave like embryonic stem cells in mice. But mouse studies frequently fail to pan out in humans, so we don't yet know whether this approach is viable for treating human diseases.
Federal funding is essential for both adult and embryonic stem cell research, even as promising alternatives are beginning to emerge.
We hope Congress will override the president's veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Further delays in pursuing the clearly viable option of embryonic stem cells will result in an irretrievable loss of time, especially if the new approach fails to prove itself.
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