It seems to me that any stem cell samples derived from human tissue that were acquired prior to the current debate1,2,3 on the ethics and fundability of such work should be destroyed and not used for research. It is [possible] that such samples were not acquired with consent forms that described this type of work and its scope as fully as necessary. Or more correctly, if such consent was not properly outlined, then those samples should be destroyed, as the donors were not properly informed.
The right of individuals to control, via an informed decision, what happens to their body, organs, bodily tissue, and genetic material, even after it has been collected from them, remains their right.
To assume that because the materials would only otherwise be destroyed that they were "up for grabs" for research purposes is not valid.
I hope the current debate on stem cell funding will ...
