Baby Eve, supposedly the world's first cloned human, timed her holiday season arrival well. Born on the 26th December, when competition for the headlines was likely to be minimal, the mysterious baby girl received the full attention of the media. Clonaid, the religious cult-backed company that claims to have created Eve and four other clones, has yet to produce any proof that the baby is a genetic replica of her mother, or offer any details of its methods. Scientists around the world are sceptical of the announcement - even maverick fertility doctor Severino Antinori, who recently claimed his own imminent human clone births, doubts that Clonaid has succeeded.
In the US, there are concerns that Clonaid's unsubstantiated declarations could cloud the current debate over the use of cloned embryo cells for disease treatments. Politicians calling for a total ban on human cloning, including therapeutic cloning, could win public support as the need for legislation is perceived to be more urgent. Such a ban would prevent American scientists from developing new therapies for diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and many other incurable illnesses. If, as many suspect, Baby Eve's birth turns out to be nothing more than an elaborate publicity stunt, then it is one which could have serious implications for genuine medical research.
Meanwhile, in the UK, another bid for public attention is threatening the lives of seriously ill children. In a case brought by pro-life campaigners, a high court judge has ruled that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has no legal power to authorise the testing of embryos to provide matched cord blood donors for sick siblings.
The surprise decision means that the parents of three-year-old Zain Hashmi, who has a rare inherited blood disorder, will not be allowed to continue with their IVF attempts to have a healthy child that could save their son's life. The Hashmis were the first couple in the UK to be granted permission by the HFEA to try out this ground-breaking new treatment, and the fertility watchdog is now set to appeal against the ruling. The legal confusion surrounding this issue requires urgent attention - a publicity-hungry minority should not have the power to cut short the lives of those who could be saved by new medical technologies.
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