Cloning Debate
Should all forms of human cloning be banned?
By Brian Hansen

Cloning became a hot issue in this year's presidential race after scientists in South Korea announced that they had created human embryos by cloning, and former first lady Nancy Reagan urged President Bush to reconsider his policies on so-called therapeutic cloning and embryonic stem-cell research. Some scientists think embryonic stem-cell research could someday produce cures for Parkinson's disease,. . . .

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Should Congress ban all forms of human cloning?

David Prentice Senior Fellow for Life Sciences, Family Research Council. Written for The CQ Researcher, October 2004	Daniel Perry President, Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research. Written for The CQ Researcher, October 2004

Are There Clones Among Us?

So far, no one has presented any hard scientific evidence, such as a DNA test, to prove that a human clone has been born. But some claim that — like something out of a science fiction movie — clones already walk among us.

Brigitte Boisselier, a member of the Raelian religious sect (who believe humans are descendants of clones created 25,000 years ago by space aliens) and Italian gynecologist Severino Antinori both say they have facilitated the births of more than a dozen human clones. And Kentucky-based fertility specialist Panayiotis Zavos says he has implanted a cloned embryo in a woman, but that she failed to become pregnant. He plans to implant other women soon, he says.

Boisselier, Zavos and Antinori say they have good reasons for not providing proof of their purported cloning accomplishments: Doing so would violate their clients' privacy and could even subject them to violence by anti-cloning zealots.

The three say they also fear arrest. Reproductive cloning is illegal in France and Italy, Boisselier's and Antinori's native countries, respectively. Even if Boisselier offered proof while in a country where reproductive cloning is still legal (such as the United States), Boisselier could be extradited back to her native France to stand trial.

“Why should I give the world the proof that will put me in jail?” asks Boisselier, who says she's currently negotiating with several foreign governments to allow her to take up residence without fear of extradition. “I will not give the proof unless there is a place I can stay, and I am very confident that no extradition can happen.” If those conditions were met, she continues, “Then, of course, I will give every detail.”

Here are the three scientists' claims:

• Boisselier runs Clonaid, the Raelians' human cloning project. On Dec. 27, 2002, She announced that Clonaid had facilitated the birth of the world's first human clone. She said the baby, nicknamed Eve, was born the previous day to a 31-year-old American woman at an undisclosed overseas location. Boisselier promised to provide proof of the claim but never did, claiming that Eve's parents refused to allow any genetic testing. Boisselier says Eve is currently living in Israel, and that Clonaid has since facilitated the births of more than a dozen other clones.

• Antinori became known in the 1990s for his controversial work in helping post-menopausal women have children. In 2001, he announced his intention to facilitate the birth of a human clone. In 2002 and 2003 he made several inconsistent claims that clonal pregnancies were under way. In May 2004, he said at least three babies had been born, but that he had played only an “advisory” role in their births. Although Antinori's medical and research credentials make his claims at least somewhat plausible, there is no evidence to support his announcements.

• Zavos runs fertility clinics in Lexington, Ky., London and Limassol, Cyprus. In May 2002, Zavos said he had assembled a team of scientists and had approved 12 couples for participation in cloning experiments. In April 2003, he published a picture said to be of a four-day-old cloned embryo, but the peer-reviewed analysis he promised did not follow. In January 2004, he announced that he had implanted a cloned embryo in one of his clients, but two weeks later said the woman had failed to become pregnant.