Going To Sleep Is Free, But

""What is at issue here is that the derivation of an embryonic stem-cell line requires the dissection and culturing of about 30 cells from the core of a blastocyst, a microscopic early-stage embryo comprising fewer than 200 cells. The derivation process kills the embryo, even as the stem cells persist and propagate. The embryos themselves are obtained from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics, where excess embryos are typically produced in the course of assisted-fertility procedures. An estimated 400,000 IVF embryos are currently in frozen storage and will eventually be discarded, except for those that are donated, with informed consent, for use in research. Some religious conservatives and opponents of abortion have taken a firm stance on what seems to be tenuous, ultimately unsustainable moral, ethical, or logical ground: acquiescence to the discarding of excess IVF embryos, coupled with rigid opposition to the use of embryos for biomedical research.""

" "Because of its size and political impact, Medicare will rank high on the domestic policy agenda of any incoming administration. When that administration assumes office in January 2005, Medicare will account for more than 13 percent of total federal expenditures; the only larger domestic program will be Social Security, which will account for 21 percent.1 By fiscal year 2007, with the phase-in of the prescription-drug benefit, Medicare's share of federal spending will increase to almost 16 percent. In short, the new administration will find the scope of any new initiatives limited by the needs of the Medicare behemoth." "