Americans willing to donate embryos for research
A majority of couples with stored embryos from
fertility treatments say they would be willing to donate unused embryos for stem
cell research.
A majority of couples with stored embryos from
fertility treatments say they would be willing to donate unused embryos for stem cell research, says a doctor
who surveyed patients.
“We knew that infertility patients were facing the morally difficult and very personal decision of what to do with remaining embryos, but we didn’t have a lot of data,” Lyerly Faden said.
They chose nine fertility centers around the country and randomly selected more than 2,000 couples to be sent questionnaires. Of 1,020 people who responded by saying they still had embryos in storage, 49% said they were likely to donate some or all of them for research. When asked specifically about stem cell research, the portion willing to donate embryos rose to 62%.
Now that these people have spoken out, of course, the government has an opportunity to make their possible contribution to stem cell research illegal. By executive order. And a signing statement.
“We knew that infertility patients were facing the morally difficult and very personal decision of what to do with remaining embryos, but we didn’t have a lot of data,” Lyerly Faden said.
They chose nine fertility centers around the country and randomly selected more than 2,000 couples to be sent questionnaires. Of 1,020 people who responded by saying they still had embryos in storage, 49% said they were likely to donate some or all of them for research. When asked specifically about stem cell research, the portion willing to donate embryos rose to 62%.
Now that these people have spoken out, of course, the government has an opportunity to make their possible contribution to stem cell research illegal. By executive order. And a signing statement.
Posted: Thu - June 21, 2007 at 09:11 AM