National Academy of Sciences: Human Cloning

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) made headlines when it issued a broadside that would, if followed by Congress, grant an open-ended license for biotech researchers to clone human life. True, the NAS recommended that Congress ban "reproductive" cloning, that is, the use of a cloned embryo to produce a born baby. But it also urged that human cloning for purposes of experimentation--often called "therapeutic" or "research" cloning--remain unimpeded by legal restrictions. Such a public …

…inherent value of human life. The American people deserve candor and scientific accuracy as to the potential benefits and the real harms that could arise from permitting human cloning, whether for research or reproductive purposes. The NAS has instead issued a naked piece of political advocacy masked as dispassionate science. WORKS CITED: "Advanced Cell Technology Reports." http://www.advancedcell.com/pr_11-25-2001.html National Academy of Sciences http://www4.nationalacademies.org/nas/nashome.nsf