Harley - I'm sorry for the trauma you suffered from your abortion. I can imagine why this would influence your opinion on ESCR, and when you are suffering, the facts sometime don't matter. My apologies to you for adding the information below. - Carey

Just a factual statement: embryos from abortion or miscarriage cannot be used in embryonic stem cell research (ESCR). That is because the cells are no longer viable for use after only about 4 DAYS after fertilization. Once they grow beyond the stage of about 100 cells called a blastocyst, the cells begin to differentiate and become neurons or skin or bones, etc.

The reason the very early blastocytic cells are promising is because they are undifferentiated - they are "blank" cells. Thus, the they can be grown into any kind of cell that is needed. For instance, in Chuck Murry's lab at the University of Washington, he can use adult stem cells to promote new blood-based growth (like bone marrow transplants), but he is actually able to grow healthy heart tissue with embryonic cells (he uses "Presidentially Approved" cells of which there are very few). With this process, hearts can heal without scar tissue. They've tried, but failed, to grow new heart muscle with "adult" stem cells.

Fact: cord blood cells, placenta cells, etc. are not viable replacements for embryonic stem cells - they've already become something else.

Fact: stem cells from fetuses or any embryo beyond 4 days old are not viable because they have already become something else.

Fact: researchers want to use only unused eggs fertilized by invitro fertilization that are DONATED by a couple for this purpose.

Fact: ADULT stem cells don't mean they are from an adult; it means they are "differentiated" or past the blastocyst stage.

The pro ESCR side is hurt by language such as "adult" and "embryo" when other, more descriptive terms might be less inflammatory and more truthful.

I think it is fine to oppose ESCR on religious grounds. But please get the facts right, and do not presume to suppose that there is another equal scientific option.

For those of you who are leery of who is funding - that is the very reason the federal NIH was established in the first place - to keep good ethical tabs on medical research. They do a very good job of it. Why should ESCR be pushed to the shadowy realms of privately funded research? But that is exactly what has happened.