New approach will not replace embryonic stem cells in the short term

A LETTER from a group of Irish academics (May 13) raised a number of issues in relation to the Irish Council for Bioethics’ (ICB) opinion document on stem cell research.

We would take issue with the assertion that the council’s stem cell report “has no sound ethical, medical or scientific basis”.

On the contrary, the ICB spent 18 months preparing this report, which sets out in some detail the (peer-reviewed) scientific basis of stem cell research as well as the ethical and legal issues arising from scientific advances in this area.