A breakthrough in stem cell research....and a Happy Thanksgiving to all

This is by far the biggest news story of the day. See the New York Times, Washington Post, and the AP for the details.

From the New York Times:

Two teams of scientists reported yesterday that they had turned human skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells without having to make or destroy an embryo — a feat that could quell the ethical debate troubling the field.

All they had to do, the scientists said, was add four genes. The genes reprogrammed the chromosomes of the skin cells, making the cells into blank slates that should be able to turn into any of the 220 cell types of the human body, be it heart, brain, blood or bone. Until now, the only way to get such human universal cells was to pluck them from a human embryo several days after fertilization, destroying the embryo in the process.

The need to destroy embryos has made stem cell research one of the most divisive issues in American politics, pitting President Bush against prominent Republicans like Nancy Reagan, and patient advocates who hoped that stem cells could cure diseases like Alzheimer’s. The new studies could defuse the issue as a presidential election nears.

And so it may turn out that the debate over embryo-destructive stem cell research will come to an end just as swiftly as it began. One can only hope.

From the get-go, opponents of embryonic stem cell research have been accused of waging a "war on science." That argument has always struck me as disingenuous and dishonest. Is it not true that the intentional destruction of human embryos raises important ethical questions, and not just practical ones? Are we so proud and narcissistic that we view issues of ethics and morality to be unworthy of our consideration when they stand opposed our own wants and desires? Are we to ignore the demands of conscience and reason in order to satisfy passion and curiosity?

Mounting a defense to protect human life does not constitute a war against science. It is rather part and parcel of the never-ending struggle to preserve our own humanity. Or our humaneness...however you choose to put it.

Why is our humanity worth preserving? The answer depends on our response to the question of "What is man?" And that's a toughie. Tough because it requires us to talk about religion and/or metaphysics - topics that many people seem to find more annoying than intriguing these days.

Still, that all-important and perennial question - "What is man?" - has not gone unanswered, as the coming season of Advent and Christmas reminds us. And it is for that - above all else - that we are thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!