Stem Cell Controversy Hasn't Changed

I received an email from a reader asking how old my article "The Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research" is and what has changed since I wrote it. Although developments in research might have changed the technology somewhat, and regulations might change over time in the USA (with the election of Obama) and the EU (as they determine which technologies/patents to allow and disallow), I don't think the outlook of the average citizen has changed a whole lot. The pros and cons to using pluripotent cells for development of tissues and organs in regenerative medicine and therapeutic cloning remain the same and those who are opposed to the use of embryonic stem cells probably still are. What's different is we have gained some ground in areas of research that utilize stem cells from alternative sources, hopefully sidestepping some of those cons.