I am all for the use of techniques that do not result in the destruction of the embryo. However, if this is the study that I am thinking of, the embryos were actually destroyed in this research, even though the method of extraction was not the cause of this destruction.
I wasn’t clear whether this was just an initial requirement, until the research reached a certain point, or whether the embryos were destroyed because they did not have an alternative for preserving them.
I was very excited about this research, because I don’t believe those who claim that there are no benefits to be derived from pluripotent stem cells. I believe they have tremendous potential for all kinds of cures, but there is much research to be done.
It is my great hope that pluripotent stem cell lines can one day be extracted from embryos without damaging the embryo in any way. I think we are several years away from such a possibility, but scientists should be working hard towards this possibility.
Agreed.