As we report in this week's BioNews, the debate in the US over therapeutic cloning research is heating up. President Bush has delivered an impassioned speech in which he called for a total ban on any form of human cloning, including the use of cloned early embryo cells to develop new medical treatments.
Responsibility now lies with the Senate, who will vote on the issue within the next few weeks. The President, apparently directing his remarks at the 20 or so senators as yet undecided about which way they will vote, warned that it would be 'a mistake' for the Senate to allow any kind of human cloning.
Mr Bush's stance on research involving human embryos appears to have hardened since last August, when he allowed the use of government funds for research on embryo stem cell-lines already in existence, though not for the creation of new cell-lines. This decision is said to have angered his religious conservative supporters, which could perhaps explain his emotive appeal last week. The president used language borrowed from those who oppose all research into genetics and cloning, warning of 'embryo farms' and, somewhat irrelevantly, children being engineered to custom specifications.
On the same day that the president delivered his speech, 40 Nobel laureates released a letter warning that a far-reaching ban on cloning would impede research on Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and neurological disorders, among others. And while Mr Bush argued that the benefits of therapeutic cloning were 'highly speculative', as one US newspaper editorial remarked, the laureates probably have a better grasp of the science. The outcome of this debate will affect the health of millions of people, so it is crucial that those on both sides are fully informed of the scientific facts. It is also important that the debate remains focussed on the issues surrounding embryo stem cell research, and is not hijacked by those uneasy about any advances in genetic or reproductive technology.
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