Updated to add Gallup’s pro-life poll results.

A U.S. district judge has granted a preliminary injunction to stop federal funding of embryonic stem cell research that destroys embryos, a blow to the Obama administration, which plans to appeal the decision. Some links:

• Judge stops federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (CNN)
• Stem cell ruling will be appealed (New York Times)
• Pro-life groups laud decision to block embryonic stem-cell research (Catholic News Agency)
• Embryonic stem cell ban: Does it matter? (Politics Daily)
• Missing voices in the stem cell debates (GetReligion)

To simplify this tremendously, the debate boils down to whether you think that destroying an embryo is akin to having an early-term abortion. Then again, what if research on these microscopic cells leads to medical advances that can save or tremendously improve human lives? Which position is more pro-life? On a related note, a Gallup poll has just reported that 51 percent of Americans identify themselves as pro-life — the first time that they’ve been in the majority in the Gallup question’s 15-year history.

And, given that embryos are already routinely destroyed through fertility treatments, which are on the rise, what if researchers just make use of embryos slated for destruction anyway?

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below. 

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