Articles and Commentary

The newly issued International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research (G. Q. Daley et al., Policy Forum, 2 Feb., p. 603) include worthy goals and lofty language about truth and transparency in biomedical...

JENALEE RYAN has just opened the Abraham Center of Life in San Antonio, Texas, billing it as "the world's first human embryo bank ." Put bluntly, Ryan sells infertile couples their choice of designer embryos that, after being brought to...

The Democrats' sweeping takeover of Congress and its "New Direction For America" put them in a position to give Americans the change in political leadership they are waiting for.

Much of the Democrats' plan walks the traditional party line: raising...

The contentious midterm elections clearly left a mark on the politics of stem cell research, but it’s not clear what the mark signifies. Missouri’s closely watched stem cell initiative barely squeaked by with 51 per cent of the vote, despite...

As the midterm elections draw near, stem cell politics may be taking a new turn. For years, the debate about stem cell and cloning research has focused almost completely on the moral status of embryos. The need for young women...

Both "Breeder Reaction" and "Souls on Ice" begin to tackle the profound issues and difficult questions raised by new human biotechnologies: How do we take reproductive and genetic technologies out of the free-market realm of anything-goes-for-those-who-can-pay, while making sure that...

The recent breakthrough that may allow scientists to create human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos may move stem cell conversations beyond the deliberative quagmire of abortion politics and embryos' moral status. But it would be misguided to think that...

Connecticut and a handful of other states are funding human embryonic stem cell research on their own, in reaction to the federal stalemate. Unfortunately, there are signs that Connecticut's $100 million program is rushing forward in a reckless and haphazard...