Stem Cell Wars: Inside Stories from the Frontlines

“If ‘round one’ for modern medicine was the eradication of infectious diseases, then we are close to claiming victory, at least in the industrialized world (with the major exception of AIDS). Now that most of us live long enough to develop a chronic, degenerative disease, ‘round two’ will no doubt consist of the effort to conquer disease at the cellular level. And up until the last few years, we were nowhere close to being able to do that.” – Chapter 1, pg. 12

“It simply isn’t possible to identify beauty queens or NFL athletes in the Petri dish.” – Chapter 2, pg. 35

“Oddly enough, in today’s strange political climate, no one is objecting to the fact that 84% of fertility clinics dispose of unused embryos, but the fight to keep them from being used to find cures for disease is ferocious.” – Chapter 2, pg. 37

“No matter how you slice it, a firm majority of Americans want to see all types of stem cell research go forward with more backing from their government. How is it possible that year after year, the clear will of the majority is ignored, while a small majority is able to dictate policy to the rest of the nation?” – Chapter 4, pg. 68

“They’ve reversed paralysis in rats, but I’m afraid we’re going to be walking on Mars before people like Susan walk here on earth. How can these politicians allow needless suffering because they care more about cells in a dish than they do about people like her?” – Chapter 6, pg. 104

“Every cell of our bodies contains a complete set of chromosomes, and if inserted into an egg cell and implanted into a womb, could grow into an entire person. Yet we don’t hold mass funerals every time we wash our hands or comb our hair, shedding thousands of these cells. Nor do we regard the act of taking a shower as a holocaust in which millions of mini-people are washed down the drain.” – Chapter 7, pg. 135

“In a world where a large number of children are abused, orphaned, or abandoned by their parents, should we be pouring so much of our energy into a fight to ‘save’ theoretical humans that have no realistic possibility of ever existing?”
– Chapter 7, pg. 137

So those were some of my favorite book quotes from Stem Cell Wars.
What makes me angry is that pro-life activists want us to believe

that stem cell harvesting and abortions are one and the same. But they aren't. Embryos used for research are created in the lab and have never (nor will ever) see the inside of a womb. Even more annoying is when people say ‘life begins at conception’, because this implies we are only our genes. What about identical twins? Chimeras? Herold mentions that scientists are discovering a much higher percentage of us had a fraternal twin in our mother’s womb than previously believed. He/she dissolved and we absorbed some of their cells. Awesome, right?