[GovernmentShrinker]

By the time they get these cells fine-tuned enough to be useful for treatments, they will be viable embryos. I don’t have a problem with any kind of embryonic stem research, but those who object to stopping the development of any viable embryo in order to use its cells for treatment or research shouldn’t get too excited about this. The rest of us, however, are thrilled that serious progress appears to have been made towards creating genetically matched totipotent stem cells for treatment.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"By the time they get these cells fine-tuned enough to be useful for treatments, they will be viable embryos."

Excuse me, but my impression is that it's exactly the opposite. It's the totipotent feature of embryo cells that makes them such a wild-card in proposed therapeutic use: fingernails, hair and teeth growing in patient's brains, etc. Thr more specific the stem cells is (e.g. pluripotent, multipotent) the more useful it is in actual treatment applications.

[Campion]

By the time they get these cells fine-tuned enough to be useful for treatments, they will be viable embryos.

If you read the article, there are no ova involved. No ovum means no embryo, as far as moralists are concerned.

All they're doing is "de-programming" the skin cells so they can become something else.