The embryo debate

[NotABanana]

Can someone explain what this is to me? On the news they state it could help save some children from disabilities and help adults too.

Is it linked to the plan for human/animal hybrid embryos as I don't see how that can help as we aren't part animal.

As I understand it there will be animal embryos with human DNA injuected into them causing them to produce human stem cells. After a few days those cells would be harvested and used to cure human problems.

The actual methods used are way beyond me.

Some scientists are confident the cells harvested in this way will allow them not to cure but to progress in the research for a cure. It is important to stress that there aren't any guarantees that this research will have the expected result of finding a treatment for illnesses.

It does't seem to be a clear cut issue amongsts scientists, since some of them believe the scientific value of the hybrids would be almost negligible because a) they are clones b) they are not completely human, and some doubt whether thet can be called embryos at all. Both are factors that introduce new problems and uncertainties in their biological behaviour. They also point out the work of a japanese and an american scientists who have succeeded in reprogramming adult cells to behave as stem cells.

The whole thing is very complex, and I am not sure the general public are getting the whole picture on exactly how necessary the creation of hybrids really is. But it doesn't matter any more since the amendment has been rejected.

Damn, and I was hoping to become a human/pig hybird god.

I thought Labour were so eager on this because they could grow their own voters, about the only way anyone is going to be crazy enough to support them.

lol @ growing their own voters
reminds me of the body snatchers and those evil pods...