Calls for relaxation of Australian cloning laws

Two prominent science bodies in Australia have delivered similar recommendations on the regulation and ethics of human cloning. Both the Australian Academy of Science and the Human Genome Project (HUGO) recommend that reproductive cloning be prohibited, whilst supporting therapeutic cloning under ethical guidelines, peer review and public scrutiny. The academy asserts that the 'unduly restrictive legislation' in half of the six states of Australia needs to be relaxed in order to 'capture benefits from recent progress in cloning research'. Meanwhile, HUGO cast doubt on whether all cells created by cell nucleus transfer should be regarded as embryos.