Sperm and embryo for use in artificial insemination, IVF and cell cloning (Image: Simon Roberts / Rex Features)
IF THE promise implicit in recent work on reprogramming adult skin cells into pluripotent stem cells is realised, the chief gain will be greater simplicity, safety and straightforwardness in stem cell research and its eventual therapeutic applications. That is welcome news. But press coverage has predictably focused on the claim that this approach avoids the ethical objections over the use of embryos, objections raised mainly by those who sympathise with the so-called “pro-life” agenda.
It is not often remarked that “pro-life” objections…
