A Detroit doctor has teamed with researchers and physicians from the University of Michigan

that will permit the study of particular diseases.

The embryos, which were donated by Detroit doctor Mark Hughes, contain genes for ailments such as hemophilia and a degenerative muscle disorder. But while scientists hail the effort for giving them new tools to examine and perhaps eventually treat the illnesses, there continue to be critics who complain that the research is unethical.

April 4, Detroit News: "It sounds like a step toward eliminating imperfect children," said Dave Maluchnik, spokesman for the Michigan Catholic Conference. "It's frankly quite frightening."

Added Ed Rivet, legislative director for Right to Life of Michigan: "If you look at the history of ethical research, we don't destroy an individual with a disease in order to find cure for the disease.

"If it's human enough to know that it has the disease, it must be the same human beings that are born with the disease."

The debate over embryonic stem cell study isn't quite the political hot potato it once since state voters agreed to an amendment allowing the research, but obviously anti-choice forces continue to try to amp up the rhetoric.

Of course, now that the science that the vote made possible is bearing early fruit, that rhetoric rings more hollow than ever. Discarding diseased

isn't murder. And what could possibly be nobler than turning that discarded goo into a tool for studying and curing debilitating diseases and injuries?

I'm also not sure what so "frightening" about the desire to purge as many genetic diseases from our children's bodies as possible. Healthy children are still perfectly imperfect. They'll still dunk your cellphone in the toilet even if they aren't saddled with paraplegia or blood diseases.

Perhaps to some a child's hemophilia or a degenerative illness is just an expression of their god's will.

Personally, I'm just glad to know that man's science has other ideas.