The Stem Cell debate has recently taken some unexpected twists and turns.  I have watched and re-watched several portions of the webcast of a Labor-HHS Senate Subcommittee hearing on stem cells this month, because I wanted to make sure I understood correctly what was said.  Reflections on that hearing conclude this article; please read them.  You will probably be surprised.  First, though, it will be helpful to remember how we got to this place.  Here’s a brief synopsis:

1981 — Scientists derive embryonic stem cells from mouse embryos

1998 — Human embryonic stem cells are grown in the ...read more

D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A. Executive Director

My beloved great-aunt knew the seasons well.  After the advent of Spring, we still had to go through “Blackberry Winter” and a few other cold snaps.  She would be amazed to learn that I find these “Kudzu Days”.  She never celebrated such a time.  After all, kudzu*, which grew behind her home, is a non-native woody vine planted all over the Southeast by F.D.R.’s Civilian Conservation Corps.  Later it was designated a pest weed.  In 1953, kudzu was removed from the USDA’s list of permissible ground cover, but it has never been eradicated from ...read more