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- - Cloning Around - -
Even staunch opponents of human cloning are conceding there probably isn't a big enough stopper to bottle up human cloning experiments much longer. That realization comes with the recognition that some groups simply will not wait until the medical research community has resolved all of its issues. Exhibit one are the Raelians, who claim that humans are clones of extraterrestrial scientists and that Jesus' resurrection was, in fact, a cloning performed by an ET. Lead by a former sportswriter who now calls himself Rael, the group has 50 would-be surrogate mothers lined up to carry cloned human embryos in their wombs. The first attempt will be made with an American couple's child, a 10-month-old girl who recently died from a medical accident, whose cells had been preserved. The couple are paying about $500,000 to have their dead daughter cloned, said Rael, who was known as Claude Vorilhon before having what he says was an encounter with extraterrestrials in 1973. He claims to lead 50,000 members in 85 countries. Cloning is obviously very attractive to the Raelians, but there will also be many more groups whose beliefs give them license to pursue cloning regardless of any restrictions against it. The FDA needs to understand this if it is going to insist that it has final say over cloning efforts in the US. http://www.clonaid.com/ |
