Dark Ages

[logisticslad]

Bush used his first Presidential Veto to nix a bill to lift some restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. There were not enough votes in the House to override the veto, so policy stays as it is. That means that a very small number of pre-existing embryonic stem cells remain available for research use if supported by govt funds, which is not a scientifically viable situation. The worst part is that he vetoed it on moral grounds - what happened to separation of church and state?

Comments

[logisticslad.livejournal.com]

You remember correctly. The viability of the existing lines has declined. There were never enough lines to ensure good generalizability. While there are certainly valid arguments to work with adult stem cells (and we do), the embryonic ones hold much more promise for faster and more efficient translational research. International science will continue to make advances in this field, and I predict that the moment there is a major breakthrough in Europe or Asia, then suddenly the political position will reverse.