August 12, 2004

License to Kill

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has granted a licence to perform therapeutic cloning using human embryos for the first time. This means that Briatin has become the first Western nation to embrace the cloning age. Parliament legalised it in 2001, but this is the first license granted under that legislation. Outside the UK, only South Korea, Singapore and China allow it.

The scientists at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne will not be the first to clone humans. South Korea researchers did it last year.

The purpose of therapeutic cloning is to create spare parts. The idea is to create a human, extract some stem cells and throw away the rest. Ethically and morally, this is not much different from IVF or embryo screening. The difference is that the life is being created outside the natural method of conception. Throwing away excess babies is nothing new.

However, the only thing that divides therapeutic cloning from reproductive cloning, i.e. implanting and gestating clones to full term, is the majority of a quorum of both Houses of Parliament - or just the House of Commons if the Parliament Act is invoked. That means 21 MPs.

Posted by david at August 12, 2004 12:12 AM | TrackBack
Comments