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'Government must act to ban all human cloning despite court decision,' says CMF

Published: 21st January 2002

'The government should stop tinkering with existing legislation and must enact proper primary legislation as soon as possible in order to prevent all human cloning.

“The government wishes to have it both ways in trying to ban reproductive cloning while opening the door to other cloning. But it cannot be done.

“The Human Reproductive Cloning Act, rushed through parliament in December, contains loopholes which will be exploited by unscrupulous lawyers and scientists in short order. It is instructive to note how quickly Italian doctor Antinori appeared in this country proclaiming his intention to clone people after the High Court verdict last year. We are highly likely to see more of these announcements as things are now: the government HAS to bring in proper primary legislation to prevent all human cloning as quickly as possible.”

The CMF believes any cloning of human embryos is wrong, for three reasons:

• Cloning embryos is unethical because it uses human embryos as a means to an end. This runs counter to the Judaeo-Christian ethic, enshrined in our legal system and in international codes such as the Declaration of Geneva (1948) which affirms unequivocally that human life - at every stage of its development - deserves the utmost respect.
• Therapeutic cloning will lead inevitably to reproductive cloning. Once cloned embryos exist, theoretically all that is needed to produce human clones would be to implant them in a womb – a technique that is simple to perform and impossible to police.
• There is a viable alternative to embryonic cloning in adult stem cell technology. The latest research suggests that adult stem cells, eg from the bone marrow, have much more flexibility than was previously thought and are therefore more effective in replacing damaged cells. Much of this work postdates the Donaldson Report which recommended the use of embryonic stem cells and was accepted by the government in summer 2000. This report, which provided the basis for the government's hurried legislation a year or so ago, is now 18 months out of date and based on yesterday's science. Parliament must revisit this issue in proper debate in the light of these new developments.

For further information:

Steven Fouch (CMF Head of Communications) 020 7234 9668

Media Enquiries:

Alistair Thompson on 07970 162 225

About CMF:

Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) was founded in 1949 and is an interdenominational organisation with over 5,000 doctors, 900medical and nursing students and 300 nurses and midwives as members in all branches of medicine, nursing and midwifery. A registered charity, it is linked to over 100 similar bodies in other countries throughout the world.

CMF exists to unite Christian healthcare professionals to pursue the highest ethical standards in Christian and professional life and to increase faith in Christ and acceptance of his ethical teaching.