Romney speaks on stem cell advance

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Mitt Romney issued a statement this morning on the apparent breakthrough in which scientists bypassed the need for embryos to create stem cells.

"New developments confirm that cutting edge science and ethical principles are not opposed to one another. Scientists have provided a means for producing new cells functionally identical to embryonic stem cells without creating or destroying embryos and without the need to exploit women for their eggs. This is a result the whole public can celebrate. The scientists deserve credit for their genius, but equally, the voices insisting on ethical science and respect for human life provided the incentive for this revolutionary research."

Romney doesn't mention that he was one of those voices, but his campaign happily pointed that out on Tuesday.