Shannon examines ethical issues arising from stem-cell research and offers a brief summary in lay terms of the current state of the technology. "?There is another question, I think, equally as important as the ethics of the use of human embryos in research," Shannon writes. "That question is a public policy question: should we continue with our policy of research into high-tech, expensive therapies that may not be available to many citizens because they are uninsured, underinsured, or because their insurance plans might not cover experimental treatments?"