Ethical Stem Cells III

The quest for ethical stem cells continues. After the last flap, which I described in Ethical Stem Cells Pt II, now it's been announced that you can take stem cells from embryos that look dead - that is, have stopped growing for 24 or 48 hours.

The work is described here: Stem cells made from 'dead' human embryo

"Regardless of how you feel about personhood for embryos, if the embryo is dead, then the issue of personhood is resolved," [Dr. Donald W] Landry said.

Problem solved. Closed the book on that one.

Right?

Wait, how do you know the embryos are dead? How do you know that the embryos weren't killed by something in the lab environment, and that if they were implanted into a womb, they wouldn't start dividing again? And then there's the question of whether there's something wrong with the cells - the original embryo did, after all, die.