It should not be surprising that human embryonic stem cell researchers will grasp at any straw in their quest to garner the millions of research dollars that are currently available in the private sector. Perhaps that is how it came to pass that Serbian scientists announced in the online journal, Stem Cells, that they have retrieved human embryonic stem cells from "dead embryos."
To be more accurate, the human embryos in question are being defined as "arrested" in their growth. As far as I know, to "arrest" one's progress is to slow it down, not end it. But excuse me. Such ghoulish science does not rely on accurate terminology.
However this latest conjuring from the land of scientific make believe begs two questions:
- How can a human embryo be dead and yet provide the living cells needed for research?
- What does it portend for the future when scientists can play with words for monetary gain alone?
As I have frequently said, until in vitro fertilization is outlawed, we will continue to witness man's total disregard for the integrity of the human person including the use of words that defy logic.