Posted by
Team Turk on Thursday, October 05, 2006 12:16:28 PM
GOP USA splits
stem cell debate.
Last month, Spanish and English researchers reported that they had derived stem cells from an "arrested" or dead human embryo that spontaneously stopped developing after a few days. But while the temptation may be to hail this as an medical and bioethical breakthrough, one Christian M.D. says getting cells from dead embryos for embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) is not as uncomplicated as some might suppose.
The European scientists who made the announcement said they had derived the embryonic stem cell line by removing a few of the cells of a "dead" embryo. But Dr. David Stevens, executive director of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA), says before anyone gets too excited, some important questions need to be asked.
"What are these cells that are being broken up?" Stevens asks. "In this embryo, there are cells called blastomeres, and the question is whether they're totipotent or pluripotent." And that, he asserts, is a very important distinction to clarify.