This commentary on embryonic stem cell research caught my attention for two reasons. First, its tone is perhaps the most even-handed and civil that I’ve read to date; it pays considerable respect to all points of view on the subject. Second, its author, Eric Mink, is a journalist who was not-long-ago caught in the crosswinds battering the newspaper industry. I have great respect for Eric. His columns are regularly anchored by more fact than opinion, a trait that strikes me as increasingly rare in the contemporary expression of opinion.
Of course, I may be mildly biased: When Eric edited the commentary page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he published me three times between May 2006 and November 2008. Hence, you should take my opinion with a grain of salt, read his latest work with your own critical eye, and cast your own judgment.