WAR IN THE SHADOWS:

New Status For Embryos In Research (Rick Weiss, October 30, 2002, Washington Post)

The Bush administration has revamped the charter of the federal advisory committee that addresses the safety of research volunteers, stating for the first time that embryos in experiments are "human subjects" whose welfare should be considered along with that of fetuses, children and adults.

The addition of human embryos to the committee's charge -- completed at the beginning of October but not yet posted on the federal Web site that lists such committees -- marks the latest effort by the administration to bring the unborn under the umbrella of federal health protections. In September the administration enacted a new policy that extends certain health benefits to fetuses.

And so continues the groundwork for an eventual Court decision that there are two coequal, or nearly so, individuals whose rights are at stake in the abortion decision. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 30, 2002 8:14 AM