When President Bush announced in August 2001 that federal funding would be made available for human embryonic stem cell research, he placed a condition that only the embryonic stem cell cultures that had been previously created could be used: situations where the “life and death decision [had] already been made,” said President Bush in a press release on www.whitehouse.gov.

Scientists are discovering new techniques that eliminate the need for the United States to make that life and death decision.

According to www.religionlink.org, one such method, announced in August, arises from a technique that has long been used in fertility clinics. Fertility clinics often perform pre-implantation genetic diagnoses on embryos that are at high-risk for genetic diseases.

This procedure consists of removing one single cell from the developing embryo. Once the stem cells are extracted, they are treated with specific chemicals to create embryonic cell lines. These cells will then be used for research to find cures for all manners of disease, cancer and even birth defects, according to www.religionlink.org.

Some advocates of the new technology claim there is no damage to the fetus when this single cell is removed. Children who are born without that cell are fully capable of normal development.

However, there are no conclusive studies proving the ability of such a baby to grow normally and develop.

While this does make it possible to acquire stem cells without destroying an embryo, it may do little to eliminate the controversy regarding whether or not the embryo is “alive.”

Some opponents of stem cell research argue that life comes into the child when the egg is fertilized. Therefore, when researchers discard the developing cells after the research period has finished, they aren’t just throwing out a mass of maturing cells, opponents see it as doing away with human life also.

Findings published in the August Cell magazine by researchers Takahashi and Yamanaka indicate that mature, specialized cells may be reprogrammed to the embryonic state. If these findings are verified, adult cells may be used for research rather than embryonic cells.

“We have seen that scientists are not using this tool to clone humans or to perform abortions in order to produce more stem cell lines. Because of this, people who were against the use of stem cells at first are now beginning to change their opinions and even to encourage more research in this field,” said Todd Kelson, a professor in the Biology Department at BYU-Idaho.

According to the Religious Newswriters Foundation, polls show that more Americans support stem cell research than a year ago.

“As with most new technologies, people are skeptical about the damage that might be done if it proceeds too quickly. In the case of stem cell research, people have had a few years to see the benefits that it may bring, for example, in treating diseases like Parkinson’s disease and Diabetes,” Kelson said.

Skepticism may also dissipate when people research the developments of stem cell research for themselves.

“When I first heard about it, I thought, ‘this is bad.’ But after reading more about it, my mind changed. It is those who are uninformed who get offended when anything close to cloning or this research comes up,” said Kevin Brown, a junior from Des Moines, Wash.