A research team from Brigham and Women’ Hospital in Boston may be only the most recent to report success use of stem cells. In this case, reported by the BBC on August 11, engineered bone marrow cells were injected into rats that had suffered heart attacks, and restored 80%-90% of the hearts’ volume.

The stem cells used were not from embryos. Like most of the successes in stem cell research today, the stem cells, ordinarily referred to as "adult" stem cells, came from sources that did not require the sacrifice of a human being.

No one knows yet the ultimate benefits or dangers from the use of stem cells to regenerate diseased parts of the human body. The debate today over the morality of stem cell research hinges on the source of the cells. Scientists are finding rich and plentiful sources of stem cells not only in bone marrow, as in this recent experiment, but also in otherwise dispensable locations, such as umbilical cords and placentas after the birth of a child.

An overwhelming percentage of women who became pregnant as a result of rape or incest and had abortions say they would discourage other victims of sexual violence from having an abortion. In interviews with 192 women who were sexually assaulted and became pregnant as a result, nearly all who had abortions regretted their decision.

On the other hand, no woman in the group who carried the baby to term expressed regret about her decision. Ninety-four percent of rape victims and100 percent of incest victims said abortion was not a good option for other women in their situation.

Most Americans support abortion as the best option in cases of sexual assault where pregnancy is the result. The victims of sexual assault who were inter-viewed do not agree. Their responses are reported in the book Victims and Victors (Acorn Books, 2000) edited by David Reardon, Amy Sobie and Julie Makimaa.

Recent polls by Newsweek magazine and the Center for the Advancement of Women, whose president is Faye Wattleton, found that a majority of Americans, including a majority of women, support a pro-life position. Wattleton, bemoaning the results of her own poll, commented that "There is significant and growing support for severe restrictions on abortion rights." More than 50% of women in that poll said abortion should be illegal or should be severely restricted. Wattleton is a former president of Planned Parenthood. The poll was conducted for the Center by Princeton Survey Research Associates and reported in April, 2003.

The Newsweek poll, reported by WorldNetDaily in June, showed overwhelming support for the beginning of human life in the womb. Fifty-eight percent of respondents considered a fertilized egg the beginning of human life; 24% said human life begins when the baby is able to survive outside the womb. Only 11% chose birth as the beginning of a human life.