Foreword
On August 9, 2001, President George W. Bush announced his Administration’s decision to fund limited embryonic stem cell research, walking a fine line between scientists eager to move forward with the research and religious conservatives hoping to ban it altogether. Embryonic stem cells are regarded by many as the foundation of a new era of regenerative medicine in which human cells will be used to repair or replace damaged tissue or organs. These cells are derived from microscopic, days-old embryos that are destroyed in the extraction process. The value of the cells is in their flexibility; theoretically, they have the…