Wisconsin: home of cheese heads, Harleys, a ball team named for beer and embryonic stem cell research

Obama gives, and he gives:

...[F]or the University of Wisconsin, and for the state in general, Obama's executive order means a lot.

"This is obviously a very important move," explains Devitt.

"It's certainly very important for Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a leader in embryonic stem cell research. The first cell lines were created in 1998 in the laboratory of Dr. James Thompson on the UW-Madison campus.

"Wisconsin is a leader in this area. This is an incredibly promising area of research. It holds the potential to revolutionize transplant medicine. In four to five years, most of us will be walking around with drugs in us that have been tested on these cells, and it's going to open a very important window on the earliest stages of human development to the time of life when many things go wrong."

"The big thing that I think this does is remove the stigma from this kind of research. This is life-saving research. The policy restriction has discouraged many bright young people from going into the field. It's slowed this technology from getting into the clinic."

L was listening to NPR Monday when they covered the executive order allowing more Federal money for ESC (contrary to popular MSM opinion, Bush and Congress agreed to stem the money flowing for ESC, quite rightly). The reporter went on about what a breakthrough it was, then they had Thompson on, who rhapsodized about ESC, then they opened the program to callers.

Who proceded to rip Thompson a new one over the questions and facts that have been ignored in Science's quest to have free reign in their work, and damn what the little people think.

L kept waiting for all the ESC supporters to jump in there, or for Mr. Science to demonstrate his superior thinking. Neither happened.

You can't fight the fact that ESC research has been ongoing for almost a decade, with zero success, while adult stem cell research has provided a host of therapies without harvesting anything from dead babies. Scientists only care about stigma when it blocks money, but they usually are required to demonstrate something valuable learned through their research to continue receiving funding.

Unless it's something that undermines pro life standards.