U.S. stem-cell flap continues

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., are criticizing a scientist who says he created stem cells without destroying an embryo.

The clash occurred during a Wednesday hearing of the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee, of which Specter is chairman, The Washington Post reported.

Specter and Harkin both support human embryonic stem-cell research, which is said to have the potential of curing or treating many diseases and fatal medical conditions. Opponents, including the Roman Catholic Church, object to the destruction of embryos -- currently the only method available to obtain such stem cells.

Robert Lanza, vice president of medical and scientific development at Advanced Cell Technology Inc. in Worcester, Mass., recently announced his company had developed a method of creating such cells without embryonic destruction.

Specter and Harkin say that statement is false, although a medical ethicist testified they were wrong to belittle the findings or the way they were reported.

Lanza, visibly shaken, testified, "Our paper is 100 percent correct," referring to the highly publicized article announcing the research in the Aug. 24 issue of the journal Nature, the Post reported.