Science may have come up with a solution to the embryonic stem cell debate that allows for the creation and use of pluripotent stem cells without the ethical baggage that comes along with the destruction of human life.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the media is still not as careful with its terminology as it needs to be. Here's the text of a "findings" box that ran with the afore-linked story.

FINDINGS: Scientists say they have discovered a class of stem cells in women's the wombs that could be harvested without destroying human embryos, which means research using these cells might not be subject to the U.S. restrictions on work involving embryonic stem cells.

There are no "U.S. restrictions on work involving embryonic stem cells." None. There are U.S. restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. If you're using money out of your own pocket, you can do anything you want with stem cells, embryonic and otherwise.

This may seem like nitpicking, but it's this sort of mistake -- promoted by scientists, politicians and the media (both wittingly and unwittingly, and I think the mistake in this case was unwittingly) -- that gives the public the mistaken impression about what the law is.