Stem Cell "Miracle"

A Colombian mother of two living in Spain has received a trachea transplant, receiving a windpipe made partially from her own stem cells. While the headline reads "Breakthrough Windpipe Transplant Uses Stem Cells," it is obvious from the first line of the story that the stem cells were not embryonic, but came from her own bone marrow. This is yet another example of a number of stem cell treatments that do not require the killing of human embryos. Almost all of the debate on this subject completely misses the point. It is not stem cell research that pro-life people oppose, it is embryonic stem cell research, which incidentally has yet to produce any viable treatments. I would actually argue that the money being spent on embryonic stem cell research is being wasted and is taking effort away from research into adult stem cells that is already leading to useful treatments. In the name of helping Superman to walk again, embryonic stem cell advocates are actually hindering research that can help make that a reality.