Today, the topic of human embryonic stem cell research has all but vanished from the headlines and public discourse. But 25 years ago, that was not the case. It is difficult to imagine today, but in those few years before 9/11, hESCR was a major topic of debate nationwide—politically, scientifically, and in the media.

In the intervening years, it is the opponents of hESCR, rather than its proponents, who have been vindicated. …

Medical research using ethically non-controversial adult and induced pluripotent stem cells continues to advance in the pursuit of cures and treatments, while embryonic stem cells have largely fallen by the wayside, proving that science does not need to kill in order to cure.

[It’s literally been years since hESCR has come to my attention, and it’s not as though I wasn’t reading sources where the topic would come up. We used to discuss it in my early years as a guest host on Relevant Radio, for instance. As we predicted, development of stem cell research went in the direction of induced-pluripotent cells, mainly because any therapies developed in this manner would otherwise have rejection issues as a potential obstacle. — Ed]