The Dutch have a word—gedogen—that sums up their approach to difficult social problems. Something “gedogen” is tolerated, although not approved. Though translating the word is dicey, the sense of it suits this country’s popular response to the political dilemma embryonic stem cell research poses. The federal government, for example, is neutral on the conduct of the work, though clear on what can be publicly funded. The state of Maryland has no policy at all at present.

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