Pro-life stances and stem-cell research

This morning, a New York Times editorial on how many conservatives are beginning to oppose Bush's restrictive stem cell policies suggests that Nancy Reagan's appeals might give Bush sufficient political cover to flip-flop. But is that really necessary?

Given that the alternative fate for the embryos which people propose to use for stem cell research--they will simply be discarded--doesn't it make more sense, from a pro-life perspective, to use those cells for something that will potentially save other lives? If they're going to be discarded, that will be the destruction of a life, too. So why not let the loss be for something much more worthwhile than the crime of simply not being needed?