Stem cells: There is an alternative research route

EVEN those who do not believe that the early human embryo is a full human being would sacrifice the embryo in the interests of advancing biomedical research only with misgivings.

People override their ethical worries with the belief that human embryonic stem cell research (HESCR), which entails the destruction of human embryos, would quickly produce cures for a variety of human diseases.

But most people don’t realise that an alternative stem cell approach to curing disease is now available that is just as promising as the embryonic stem cell approach, but which poses no ethical problems.