Three weeks ago, when a team of researchers in Massachusetts announced a breakthrough in the way embryonic stem cells can be harvested, Mark Green struck gold.

For the first time in his political career, he was able to say he supports some form of human embryonic stem-cell research. For the first time in his run for governor, or any other office for that matter, he appeared mildly rational when it came to science.

Never before has Mark Green used the most notable research being conducted at Wisconsin's flagship university as a selling point for his campaign.

Following the announcement of a method for generating stem-cell lines without destroying the donor embryo, the Green Team hatched a plan that would give $25 million over the course of four years to the University of Wisconsin-affiliated WiCell Research Institute in order to fund the improvement and implementation of the method here.

But do not be fooled by this new development in the way Green approaches the world of cutting-edge technology and medical research. Mark Green supports stem-cell research so long as it preserves the "life" of an embryo destined to spend its better years in deep freeze only to be thawed and discarded.

Green does not, however, support the stem-cell research that is most likely to provide the fastest and most effective cures for human diseases.

Maybe I'm just being pessimistic, but when you tally up the number of embryos left over from in vitro fertilization sitting in cryo-freezers around the U.S., it is nearly double the population of Madison. That gives me the fleeting feeling that those little embryos might want to grab a Snickers bar — they're not going anywhere for a while.

Now don't get me wrong, I think any investment into medical research that shows potential, enhances scientists' understanding of biological systems and bolsters the state economy should receive funding. And I applaud the work of Dr. Robert Lanza and his team at Advanced Cell Technology for their pioneering work.

However, their technique, which draws on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis — a method sometimes used to determine if an eight-cell embryo has any genetic defects before it is implanted into its mother — is not something that will bridge the rift between reason and religion.

There are several unknowns that accompany Lanza's method, which has been referred to by many scientists as inefficient. The stem-cell lines derived using this technique eventually died, and the long-term effects of P.G.D. have yet to be determined.

Call me an embryo-eating liberal science freak, but we need to utilize the scientific technologies that have the most potential. UW and its researchers have pumped out some of the most credible, promising human embryonic stem-cell research in the world. While this work did require the destruction of many human embryos, its prospects are worth that sacrifice. The time it would take to improve on Lanza's work could mean the lives of countless people throughout the world.

Why divert money from a technique that is a sure-fire success into an under-developed method that still leaves many logistical questions unanswered? Because it is more convenient for Green to appease his version of morals and also those of his religious-right voter base in the state.

Stem-cell research is proving to be a hot-button issue for the upcoming gubernatorial election, and it is garnering more and more support from residents in the state everyday.

This new technique has afforded Green the ability to garner a modicum of appeal without losing ground.

All Mark Green has done in the past to affect the most promising of stem-cell technologies has been to stifle it. He stands behind legislation bolstering umbilical-cord blood and adult stem-cell technologies — both noble endeavors — but limiting financial support to less efficient modes of research is counterintuitive.

Additionally, in his unveiling of this $25 million plan, Green said the recent development in stem-cell research has taken the politics out of science. I doubt that is really the case, as Green has used this development as part of his campaign. How unfortunate that lawmakers like Green have used stem-cell research as a political ping-pong ball when the lives of walking, breathing people are on the line.

Carolyn Smith ([email protected]) is the Managing Editor of The Badger Herald and a continuing student at UW.