WE had to wait longer than we should but in the end we鈥檝e had the right
decision. The British Government has finally come out in favour of legalising
research on therapeutic use of human stem cells,
(see 鈥淧ut it to the vote鈥�)
even though those
cells will have to be taken from very early stage embryos. The final decision
now rests with the House of Commons, which is to be allowed a free vote later
this year. If it passes, and if moves in the US to allow government funds to be
spent on such research also succeed, then we鈥檒l be a lot closer to realising the
enormous medical potential of stem cells.
Early in the debate, religious groups and the anti-abortion lobby appeared to
hold the moral high ground. But now the rights of people to gain access to the
best that medicine can offer are wisely being taken much more seriously. The use
of stem cells could bring about a real revolution, making it possible to repair
worn-out organs and damaged brains.
And if we press ahead, we might soon be able to put the ethical worries
behind us鈥攔esearch on human embryos now could quickly teach us how to
create stem cells directly from adult tissues, without needing embryos at
all.
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