The red-hot political controversy which surrounded stem cell research during the Bush Administration seems to be cooling rapidly. In only one state, Michigan, were voters asked to decide on the future of embryo research. They approved it by a margin of 53% to 47%. Now Michigan scientists will be able to use surplus IVF embryos as sources of stem cells, provided that they have obtained consent from the parents. Ten states now have laws permitting embryonic stem cell research.

However, embryonic stem cells as a way of obtaining cures may be a cul de sac. Many of the major figures in the field, including the American scientist who first created human embryonic stem cells, James Thomson, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have shifted the focus of their work to reprogrammed stem cells which had little ethical baggage and are easier to work with.

Legalising research on IVF embryos may do little to help employment in rust-belt states like Michigan. The ultimate result may not be cures, but securing Federal funding for research on embryros.