Cloning of Monkey Embryos Raises Hopes, Fears
Nov 19th, 2007 • Posted in: NewsBEAVERTON, Ore.
A scientific and ethical Rubicon was crossed last week as researchers in Oregon reported that they had cloned monkey embryos and extracted stem cells from them, an advance many scientists say shows that the same process could be carried out with human cells.
The development was immediately condemned by opponents of the process who fear that such measures would lead to widespread destruction of human embryos, the Boston Globe reports. Opponents also contend that it is fundamentally immoral to clone humans, and worry that the technology eventually could be used to artificially create humans in the same manner that Dolly, a sheep, was cloned 10 years ago.
The advances reported last week mark the first time embryonic cloning has been achieved in a primate, the animal most resembling a human.
Those backing the research say the process could lead to revolutionary cures for a variety of maladies because cloned stem cells can produce replacement tissues completely compatible with a patient’s immune system, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Some scientists also cautioned that even though the latest development involved cloning cells from a primate, and that what works with primates typically works in humans, the researchers could not sustain a viable pregnancy with the cloned embryo, meaning that the research does not mean it is now possible to clone a human, MSNBC reports.
Other recent developments also hint at ways that many of the moral issues related to embryonic cloning and stem cell research could be circumvented: The BBC reports that various anti-abortion groups have welcomed a process that creates stem cells from fragments of skin, eliminating the need to use human embryos.
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