It's hard for the public to understand why we are now repairing, enhancing, and protecting our bodies with products that MODEL the operation of our cells.
It's even harder for them to understand concepts of a virus capturing the cell machinery of human tissue and turning it into something something essentially "non-human"..
Unfortunately, the tools of science were cruder than they are today when all this started almost 20 years ago. Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC) were the go-to.. But in RETROSPECT -- nearly every important breakthru using SC comes from NON-EMBRIONIC strains. We no longer NEED ESCells for much.
The use of NAMED strains of these cells is so that OTHER SCIENTISTS can exactly replicate the results. OR to delinate a patent to make it narrow enough for acceptance.
If this work were to start TODAY (not 20 yrs ago) -- I doubt embryonic cells would be used. (if indeed they were used here for development).
There may be a limit to what can be explained to the public in the performance of science and research. And that can't be overcome with education given the sorry ass state of education in this country. It MAY BE -- that other COUNTRIES, with a better educated populace, will take over our lead on these important developments..