(imho) The issue has virtually nothing to do with cells and everything to do with embryos. (Lab rats without the problem of offending the sensibilities of animal lovers.)

What about what he have not discovered about esc? ESC research has been done for only 10 years compared to half a century for asc.....I understand there are scientists that have concluded that we can do everything we need with asc and not bother with esc....but what if we did this throughout history and always stopped as soon as we thought we figured it all out? how many new discoveries would have been overlooked?? hmmm...bottom line is we dont know the full potential....we cant know...yes up until today esc has not cured anything (in humans)..what about tomorrow? what about the future? this is about the future and not today..there were over 30 scientists at the white house a few days ago cheering Obamas move, they know more than you and I do about what could possibly be there.

Let's put aside for a moment the potential wonderful advancement of science which we will one day benefit from by studying embryonic stem cells and consider the millions of people who could be treated with adult or iPS cells today.

Even without this preliminary couching, I'm continually amazed that there are still people who fail to recognize what is really going on around them.

How can one turn a blind eye to the reality expressed by Dr James Thomson, father of embryonic research:
"...embryonic stem cells are not being used in any clinical applications yet, while alternatives such as adult stem cells figure in scores of therapies." and "Ten or 20 years from now...there will be transplantation- based therapies (from ESC) , but even if there was none, and it was a complete failure, this technology is extraordinarily important"

And "The iPS (induced pluripotent stem cells) discovery even prompted Ian Wilmut, who led the team that cloned Dolly the sheep, to abandon his license to attempt human cloning, saying that the researchers "may have achieved what no politician could: an end to the embryonic stem cell debate."

And, just several days ago, Dr. Bernadine Healy, director of the National Institutes of Health under the first President Bush, wrote in U.S. News & World Report that these recent developments "reinforced the notion that embryonic stem cells . . . are obsolete." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/10/AR2009031002842.html

These are not "religious freaks", these are not even "pro adult stem cell advocates"; these are the top minds in embryonic research deciding, based solely on scientific research potential that embryonic research for treatments has little to no life left in it.

And yet, the critics of ASC argue onward while turning a blind eye to the huge advancements around the world that adult stem cells have made in therapeutic treatments. http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/category/victories-success-stories/
Embryonic...Adult...Induced Pluripotent... Which one(s) will be the victor(s) in the stem cell wars?

While Embryonic stem cells (ESC) were previously thought to be more powerful than Adult Stem Cells (ASC) because they can become any cell in the body (pluripotency), new studies on ASC are showing that they can become virtually anything. Scientists recently turned Skin cells into ASC into Neuron-ASC. http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/researchers-make-nerve-cells-from-new-stem-cells-science-reuters/

A decade of ESC research around the world has resulted in no human treatments & because the ESC continue to divide beyond the scientist’s control, they can turn into tumors. ESC also require immunosuppressive drugs, which one of the most common forms of ASC (autologous) used in treatment do not.

Over the same decade of research, adult stem cell treatments have given thousands improved health, extended lives, helped paraplegics to walk… http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/spinal-cord-injury-sci-stem-cell-trials-japan-plays-catch-up/

Gave a man with AIDs 2 years (so far) free of symptoms… http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/?s=aids+symptom+2+years

Successfully improved MS & Cerebral Palsy patients, the list goes on and on… http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/category/victories-success-stories/

ASC are already helping improve & extend the lives of patients with dozens of “incurable” diseases,” 73 diseases when you count only US published scientific papers & well over 100 if you read all of the papers from outside the USA.

Additionally, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC) are ASC modified to be able to become any cell in the human body & seem to have all of the benefits of ESC with significantly less of a rejection issue; not to mention without the political & religious controversy. http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/embryonic-stem-cell-alternative-has-another-advance-ips-cells-yield-nerve-cells/

And iPSC don’t have the tumor and cancer potential that ESC do either: http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/cancer-threat-removed-from-stem-cells-scientists-say-los-angeles-times/

Even the NIH is jumping into the ASC research and treatment pool. http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/nih-says-adult-stem-cells-are-ready-for-the-prime-time-yah-baby/

Why is there still so much focus on ESC when both ASC & iPSC seem capable of achieving everything ESC can do with a fraction of the obstacles?

The world is treating thousands successfully with ASC. We CAN treat the multitude of dying and debilitated patients NOW. Give me one good reason why we aren’t.

David Granovsky, http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com

And btw, just when the US was waking up to the benefits of ASC and iPSC and their ability to treat illnesses…

OBAMA PULLED FUNDING FOR BOTH ADULT & INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS!!!

President Obama Also Kills Bush Executive Order for Adult Stem Cell Research - by Steven Ertelt - LifeNews.com Editor -March 10, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — President Barack Obama...ALSO RESCINDED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER PRES BUSH PUT INTO PLACE FUNDING ADULT STEM CELLS AND NEW RESEARCH WITH iPS CELLS.

http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/obama-assasinates-any-hope-of-stem-cell-treatments-in-us/