Stem-cell research, by itself, has no moral question. The only moral question for pro-lifers is the source of the stem cells. Stem cells can come from adults, umbilical cords, and (yes) embryos. Of course, the kind of research done on each of these types of stem cells will be different, but simply declaring “stem-cell research” a moral problem is oversimplification.

I don’t know the details about the law Danforth cites, but if the stem cells were to come from embryos, I can understand why other pro-lifers draw the line differently than he. I don’t understand why doing so is a bad thing.

If the law bans research on stem cells from umbilical cords or adults, then there is a problem. And that problem can be adressed through education.

Do the different stem cells offer different potential cures? From what I gather, we don’t really know enough to say (although that hasn’t kept people from making unsupported statements or partly-educated guesses). Once upon a time (twenty years ago or so), scientists believed that infantile tissue transplants were a promising research area with miracle cures right around the corner. They weren’t lying; they just didn’t know enough at the time to make that kind of statement (which, of course, is why they wanted to do the research).