Real LifeDANGER! Embryonic stem cell research
with NO restrictions ahead
Proponents of embryonic stem cell research in Michigan are constantly claiming they want Michigan researchers to be on the "cutting edge" of embryonic stem cell experiments. The recent announcement out of Britain that scientists there have been able to create cloned embryos by mixing human DNA with the eggs of cows in an attempt to get embryonic stem cells demonstrates where that cutting edge is.
In hopes of creating embryonic stem cell lines to match the DNA of human patients, British scientists at Newcastle University have resorted to creating cloned hybrid embryos which are part human and part cow. Cow eggs were used for these cloning experiments because researchers have had difficultly obtaining a large enough quantity of human eggs.
The cutting edge of stem cell research in Britain gives us a sneak preview at what unrestricted embryonic stem cell research in Michigan could look like, and it isn't pretty. Britain is a disturbing example of what happens when scientists aren't restricted by solid ethical boundaries. The creation of cloned embryos who are part human and part cow is what happens when respect for human life is discarded so all avenues of stem cell research can be explored.
Researchers with the North East England Stem Cell Institute "used human eggs from consenting in vitro fertilization patients, but these are in short supply. Animal eggs are considered to be a viable alternative for research."
More background information on this kind of cloning and embryonic stem cell research can be found online at the web site of the North East England Stem Cell Institute.
http://www.nesci.ac.uk/news/item/hybrid-embryo-research-approved1