PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsCommentDoes therapeutic cloning need regulation?

BioNews

Does therapeutic cloning need regulation?

Published 18 June 2009 posted in Comment and appears in BioNews 135

Author

Juliet Tizzard

Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family entwined in coils of DNA (based on the figure of Laocoön from Greek and Roman mythology).

At the time of writing, the UK House of Lords is in the middle of debating the Human Reproductive Cloning Bill. So far, the discussion has been largely calm and considered and the Lords seem united in their opposition to human reproductive cloning. But a few peers have voiced concerns...

At the time of writing, the UK House of Lords is in the middle of debating the Human Reproductive Cloning Bill. So far, the discussion has been largely calm and considered and the Lords seem united in their opposition to human reproductive cloning. But a few peers have voiced concerns that GLINK(#:2343, therapeutic cloning)} - creating cloned embryos for research and therapies - will remain unregulated after the bill has been passed.

As we report in this week's BioNews, the bill does not seek to make the creation of cloned human embryos illegal: only their transfer to the womb of a woman. Speaking from the opposition benches, Earl Howe said he was 'disquieted by the lack of regulation of therapeutic cloning'. So should we be worried that anyone creating cloned embryos can do so without fear of prosecution?


The way some peers were talking, you could be forgiven for thinking that Pandora's box has been opened and that, within no time, UK scientists will be producing cloned human embryos for research. The news from Advanced Cell Technologies (ACT) does demonstrate that this research is forging ahead, but so far no researchers in the UK have voiced their intention to start therapeutic cloning. Should they follow ACT's lead and decide to start work in this area, such scientists would certainly have no legal bars on what they could do. But the law isn't the only way that research is regulated.


As we can see from the scientists at ACT - who are also subject to no statutory legislation - there is a strong desire to be open about research findings and to maintain public support for them. This need for public approval in an area of research which is subject to intense media scrutiny means that responsible self-regulation, in the absence of statutory control, is an attractive option to researchers in the field. Any UK scientist who wants to work in this area over the next few months is likely to prefer to conduct their research according to existing embryo research rules than to risk the wrath of the media by going it alone. Scientists don't carry out research to see what they can 'get away with'. They want to get on with the job of developing therapies for human diseases in a supportive public and political environment which recognises the value of their efforts.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Time to reconsider sex selection?

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Recent
4 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

Widening the debate about direct-to-consumer genetic testing and donor conception

4 July 2022 • 3 minutes read

Join PET and Genomics England to celebrate the 200th birthday of Gregor Mendel

27 June 2022 • 4 minutes read

Thirty years of PET: our 'Fertility, Genomics and Embryo Research' report

27 June 2022 • 5 minutes read

Children's rights and donor conception: What next?

20 June 2022 • 4 minutes read

The problems with lifting donor anonymity earlier

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856