The cloning of human embryos

Abstract

Dearly-beloved in the Lord: On Sunday, November 25, 2001, Advanced Cell Technology, a biotech Company in Worcester, Massachusetts, announced the first successful cloning of a human embryo. Denying any intention to perform reproductive cloning, the ACT team of scientists declared that the techniques they used aimed at harvesting stem cells from the inner core of human blastocysts, in order to treat a wide range of illnesses: diabetes, leukemia and other cancers, AIDS, strokes, together with neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The announcement elicited immediate opposition from right-to-life groups as well as from government officials of many nations. The Vatican issued a strong condemnation of the procedure, and was followed by Methodists and other Protestants together with Conservative and Orthodox Jews. President George W. Bush declared: "We should not, as a society, grow life to destroy it." His personal opposition to human cloning accords with legislation enacted in July of 2001 by the House of Representatives (H.R. 2505, the Weldon-Stupak bill, passed 265-162). If passed by the Senate, this bill would make it illegal to clone human embryos for research purposes. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) has introduced his own bill into the Senate (S.790) which is due for a vote in February. The ACT announcement will spur earlier debate on the issue, since Brownback has threatened a filibuster.