Where they stand

Stem cells | Breakthrough entrenches religious divide | Richard Ostling

Human induced pluripotent stem cells

Moral conservatives hailed the latest breakthrough on stem cells when two medical journals last month reported that scientists have artificially created versatile human stem cells as an ethical and political win-win. The "induced pluripotent stem cell" (IPSC) may sidestep the moral problem of research using stem cells from human embryos (that are destroyed in the process) and may also have medical benefits. IPSC is considered more efficient and takes matching cells from specific patients. Nonetheless, a New York Times editorial continued demands for public funding of embryo extraction, and critics continue to label opponents of embryo destruction, including President Bush, "anti-science."

The issue remains equally divisive for organized religion. A year ago a National Council of Churches (NCC) policy statement said that because member denominations "hold differing strong opinions" it "neither endorses nor condemns experimentation on human embryos." Some NCC constituents have taken no official stand, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and several black Protestant bodies. (Likewise for candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon Church.)