New "breakthrough" is nothing new; and using embryos for experimentation remains unethical

The news today was full of hype over a supposed new technique for created cloned embryos. As is usually the case with such hype, it is all a little misleading. This is not a new technique. Somatic cell nuclear transfer as a means of creating embryos for experimentation has been around for a long time - but it is difficult and expensive, and is not often achieved successfully, despite the huge amount of money and effort that goes into creating embryos for experimentation.

LIFE's view is that there is an ethical problem with the use of stem cells obtained from human embryos. However it is created, a human embryo has value and worth. It is the start of a brand new human individual, unique and irreplaceable. Human beings, at any stage of their lives, should not be treated as a means to an end. No-one denies that there may be potential cures developed from research on embryos; the question is, as always, where do we draw the line concerning what kind of research ought to be allowed?

It should also be remembered that in terms of regenerative medicine, embryonic stem cells are no longer at the cutting edge. That position now belongs to adult stem cells. These can be relatively easily harvested from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, milk teeth, amniotic fluid, eyes, brains, and a host of other physiological locations - the list is seemingly endless. Already these adult stem cells are being used successfully in dozens of human therapies, worldwide, whereas embryonic stem cells have yet to deliver a single treatment. Moreover, the simplicity and elegance (not to mention, the cheapness) of adult stem cell production, should end all talk and practice of human embryo destruction - this is unethical and now unnecessary. 

At LIFE we are excited by, and fully support, the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine, as long as those stem cells are not obtained by trashing human embryos.