ARGH!!! Embryonic stem cell cloning and research has not produced a SINGLE successful treatment/ cure/ transplantation. Rather, these transplantations have a tendency to produce tumors and other problems. Research with adult and umbilical cord stem cells has produced over 60 documented successful treatments, but you don't hear anything about it!
The editorial says "The political games around stem cell research are sending scientists on wild goose chases, pursuing costly and strange alternative ideas, some of which may work in the distant future but many which probably will not." Costly and strange ideas that probably won't work? Isn't that EXACTLY what embryonic research and cloning are? And yes, i understand the differences in types of cloning, but i'm still not sure where i stand on the whole f-ing up an embryo thing in the first place. Last year they had 'snowflake' children at a White House press conference; these were kids who had been adopted as embryos, straight out of that stock of ‘surplus’ that sit in clinic freezers. The clinics will freeze excess embryos for 3-5 years if a couple chooses, and in one study 59% of couples who were planning to let their embryos be discarded after the 3-5 years opted instead to use them for another pregnancy or to donate them to another couple.
Gazzaniga also says “Not only will the present generation not get medical relief from stem cell research…our children's generation will not either.” Hardly! Our generation is already seeing the fruits of stem cell research, it just so happens to be from the kind of research that is far less costly, not at all suspect, and not destructive. It bothers me so much that people keep using scare tactics like this, tossing out the phrase ‘stem cell research’ and ignoring the dichotomy between adult and embryonic stem cells. If half of the attention we slather onto the expensive, dubious, and unproven methods of embryonic stem cell research were given to its actually-successful counterpart, imagine how many more documented treatments we would see!
I’m not saying that science should quit trying every ethical means to find cures, but I’m tired of all the blanket statements and empty promises where we could be giving credit where credit is due and raising awareness and finances for something that really works. I know the argument is “Well if we had proper funding for embryonic cloning it would be just as successful as adult & umbilical stem cell research.” First of all, that’s hypothetical, and second, Bush allocated a number of embryos to use, and places like California and New Jersey are forking over billions of dollars for embryonic research. Have the researchers focus their time and energy using those resources to garner even one successful treatment similar to those of the 60+ cord blood treatments, then we’ll talk.

Kal. I understand your frusturation, and I thank you for reminding me that I forgot to mention the prospect of adult stem cells. Indeed, probably the most medically beneficial result of slow embryonic stem cell research is exploration into harvesting those cells from adults. But I don't think I agree with your logic. Embryonic stem cells have not produced a lot to speak of, but I don't think we can conclude it's becuase it's a pointless venture.

Bush did allocate a handful of lines, but all of those lines were quickly contaminated. In essence, he financially tied the hands of any researchers hoping explore stem cells with government financing while on the surface looking moderately in favor of biological research. I am hopeful for the programs in Jersey and California.

Biologically, it seems embryonic stem cells will have more of a role in elucidating key developmental processes through basic science research. I also hope, as I imagine do most fellow scientists, that eventually we can move on to clinical procedures that use stem cells harvested from adults, but I think not learning from research done on the embryonic cells could set us back quite a while.

I think the snowflake children make for a very interesting story, but I'm also curious just how many normally-discarded embryos are ever used in IVF. I find a frustrating dissonance among those who believe life begins right at the point of conception but also have no scruples about participating in IVF. If they truly believe life begins at that point, are they not callously destroying life by not implanting every fertilized embryo?

I think too much hype has been raised over embryonic stem cell research, although there is much potential. Adult harvesting and research is getting some attention in the scientific community, but I wish more were being demonstrated in the mainstream media about it. Unfortunately, the news often doesn't want to broadcast the news, but a way to point out our divisions to stir people up so they can report on those divisions again.