Bush's position was presented as a compromise. And many in the media, in the religious community, and in high political office accepted it as such. So have many in bioethics.
The Bush compromise is no compromise. It is an absolute ban on embryonic stem cell research. The cells lines that exist are not readily available for research. And if the president is to be taken at his word, he will oppose any derivation of new cell lines. Does anyone in the scientific community really believe that it will be possible to see what human embryonic stem cells can do in the battle against disease and disability using the cell lines that currently exist? And if not, why aren't those in leadership positions saying so loudly and clearly?
Existing cell lines will never be adequate to see what the potential is of human embryonic stem cells. Many of the cell lines ...
