The shift in the political landscape is evident in the statements issued soon after Tuesday's announcement about the cell reprogramming technique. Take this statement from Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., an erstwhile presidential candidate who is among the most vocal opponents of embryonic stem cell research:
"This exciting breakthrough means that we can conduct embryonic-type stem cell research without destroying human life, and I call on supporters of embryonic stem cell research to recognize that we have no realistic need to destroy embryos. I congratulate the research teams led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin for pioneering a route away from questionable science that is destructive to human life."
Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican who's also a physician, issued a statement in a similar vein:
"This breakthrough provides further evidence that the most promising avenues of stem cell research are also the most ethical. Politicians should note that the scientific community is moving rapidly without the assistance of laws requiring the taxpayer-funded destruction of human life."
Both statements have a strong "we told you so" quality to them. They downplay the fact that the newly reported research couldn't have been done without embryonic stem cells, that further research with embryonic stem cells will be required to move the work forward, and that both of the scientists congratulated so warmly by Brownback insist embryonic research is essential for developing future therapies.
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/21/476812.aspx
