It was a nebulous discussion, really - due to the dated subject material. Mcgee criticizes Hurlbut for attempting to reconcile political differences between pro and anti-stem cell research camps on the grounds that Hurlbut claimed "we DON'T have to kill embryos for stem cells! We can prevent them from ever becoming embryonic and then harvest the genetic material!" Which is essentially bad science due to the consequences of playing with the genetic code that way. However, the issue is almost moot now, because adult stem cells can be extracted and grown independent of embryos altogether. I can agree with McGee that scientists ought to know what they're talking about when presenting bioethical issues before policymakers (glorified laypersons) but we were less harsh on Hurlbut - because he at least tried to reconcile gridlocked opposition in the no-holds barred arena of politics.
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