A solution to the stem cell impasse ?

Is this the light at the end of the tunnel that may allow researchers to regain some of the ground that has been lost since the controversy surrounding stem cell research surfaced.
I realise that this is bound to be a touchy subject with many but the benefits for all could be enormous if a way around the current impasse between scientists and those with ethical and moral concerns can be found.
Though this news does seem positive there are those who still prefer to be pessimistic and downplay what may well be a significant breakthrough.
As with all things lately this area of research still polarizes opinion across a broad spectrum, but when looked at logically the benefits of being able to increase the use of responsible stem cell research far outweighs many of the misguided moral/ethical arguments put forward by some in the political arena with agenda's of their own.
This wont be a popular comment but i dont believe that religious argument has any place in this debate, where would we still be if not for the groundbreaking work of scientists in the medical field hundreds of years ago in the face of severe backlash from various religious groups.

A California biotechnology company says it has developed a way of extracting stem cells from human embryos without destroying the embryo, a potential solution to the political and ethical impasse holding back the cutting-edge science.

A spokesman for President Bush said the new method doesn't resolve ethical concerns about the use of human embryos for research, but called it "encouraging" to see scientists "make serious efforts" to move away from research involving their destruction.

Embryonic stem cells are considered the key to regenerative medicine, often touted as the future of health care. Typically retrieved from 5-day-old human embryos, they can morph into virtually every kind of tissue — versatility scientists hope one day will provide a source of replacement parts for organs involved in disorders such as diabetes and Parkinson's.

"If there weren't such political controversy about embryonic stem cell research, this wouldn't be a great step forward," said Rick Wetsel, a stem cell researcher at UT-Houston's Laboratory for Developmental Biology. "But as far as I'm concerned, anything that might bring opponents on board and overcome this impasse is a good thing."

source

Any thoughts on this latest news, could it be the first step towards resolving the impasse or will there always be those in positions of authority who will actively deny the medical community and researchers access to science that could change the face of human health.

Didn't read all of the post, but I hear they've already made ground-breaking progress.