THAT’S DEBATABLE:

What do you think of the Obama administration’s lifting of restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research?

As long as the research is taking place on embryos that would otherwise be discarded, I have no problem with it.

Rep. Dana Rohra- bacher

(R- Huntington Beach)

Embryonic stem cell research has unfortunately become more of a political issue than a medical or scientific one. Almost all major research breakthroughs using these cells have come from adult stem cell research and not embryonic. The future potential for disease cures lies with adult stem cells, or in using a patient’s own stem cells, because there is less risk of rejection.

A number of companies, including several right here in Orange County, have developed new technologies that achieve all of the benefits of embryonic stem cell research without the moral hazards of destroying human embryos.

I would hope that everyone agrees that the destruction of human embryos for research purposes is an ethical line that should not be crossed if there are viable alternatives. The fact is there are now many alternatives and it is not necessary to cross that line.

John Campbell

(R-Newport Beach)