UK scientists win human cloning licence

August 12

British scientists have received permission to clone human embryos for medical research - the first such licence given in Europe.

A spokeswoman for Newcastle University says researchers will be allowed to create embryos as a source of stem cells to cure diseases.

The university says the go-ahead has been given by Britain's reproduction regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Cloning has been legal in Britain since 2002 but such projects require authorisation from the authority.

HFEA chair Suzi Leather says the decision to has been taken "after careful consideration of all the scientific, ethical, legal and medical aspects of the project."

"This research is preliminary, it is not aimed at specific illnesses, but is the foundation for further development in the treatment of serious disease," she said in a written statement.

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I'm going to think about this before I comment.
Sanc'.

My thought is that it could end up being a really really good thing, or a seriously bad thing.

IMO i think cloning should only be on animals. NoT PEOPLE. I think if people are going to clone something it should only be done for medical research, endangered animals, and plants. not good

Cloning should be allowed on humans as well as animals, or not at all. Why are humans any more special than other animals? It's all the same thing.

Really, I think cloning should be allowed. We really know so little about how the human body works that it would be a godsend to figure it out by cloning or whatever other means. It's way better than testing and probing things that have already developed enough to carry a soul.

While I think the concept of growing replacement organs and such for family is a wonderful idea, I think we havent put alot of thought into the social repercussions of cloning. Cloning a whole living being I think is crossing a huge boundary that as humans we arent ready for yet; getting our feet wet with stem cell research into creating organs and such is a much better idea.

Think of the ways that cloned beings would be persecuted. We think there are problems with bigotry and racisim now, but imagine how people would take to those who are cloned. Yes we can say for our selves that we wouldnt treat a clone differently, but we only speak for ourselves, not the world and there would no doubt be those who resented the clones. Plus I just don't see the purpose of making a carbon copy of a person physically, only to have them develop a personality that would probably be completely unlike the original person, thus making things extremely weird and akward.

Originally posted by American Mad Man
My thought is that it could end up being a really really good thing, or a seriously bad thing.

Exactly. But no matter what, its going to be done by someone, somewhere regardless as Britain is showing us now. I can understand, though I don't agree with the people who object on moral grounds. They seem to think that limiting our involvement in it will keep it from happening when all it will do is limit our control over it and put us signifigantly behind everyone else if it ends up being a positive move in the future.

The genie has been let out of the bottle, I don't see how there is any going back.

Another step towards turning humans into products. One president at a time.

Originally posted by Opus
Another step towards turning humans into products. One president at a time.

Why not? We don't seem to mind using the rest of the world and its creatures as our products.

They aint gonna be cloning a full human so i dont see any problem with it especilly as it will help cure sum pretty nasty things liks parkinson's & such.

i would'nt mind if they cloned another me & kept him in a fridge anytime i needed a new organ i got my clone to donate cheers mate.