Stem Cells and the Candidates

Just before 9/11, President Bush made a televised speech about stem cells and how to restrict federal funding based upon existing lines in culture. Amazing how little is heard about this issue now in the debates, particularly on the Republican side, where it seems most people just want the issue to go away. Well it might or it might not. Recent advances in generating stem like cells without using embryos are promising, but not conclusive (see prior post). Like most issues in science, there will be progress and then setbacks. The main lesson from this impasse seems lost; the government does not "control" science, but it sure can makes things difficult.