I have been following the discussion at Wizbang about President Bush’s veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. Some of it is “out there” in my opinion. Much of it is heated. But there is a lot of stuff that will make you think and want to know more if you are uninformed about this issue.
Of particular interest is the link to this article about using stem cells from placentas. According to the article:
Scientists say placentas could meet the worldwide demand for stem cells several times over without sacrificing a single embryo. They say the placenta is a rich source of stem cells capable of transforming into many types of cells in the body, holding out the hope of using them to treat many human ailments including spinal-cord injury and diabetes.
Placental stem cells work nearly as well as embryonic ones, at least according to this article. And Bob Harari, acting CEO of Celgene, a stem-cell company in New Jersey, says that “…placental cells have many of the same desirable properties found in the embryonic version…And the bonus…is they don’t come from embryos, they are more plentiful and they don’t form tumors.”
It will be interesting to see if Congress turns its funding attention to this kind of stem cell research.
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