Britain to legalise cloning from tissue of dead people
The British government has decided to legalise cloning dead people after lobbying from stem cell scientists. Although they only plan to create embryos for research, the new proposal ignores a key principle of contemporary clinical research, informed consent. Laboratories will be able to use stored human tissue without the explicit consent of the tissue donor. The idea behind this is that tissue from people with interesting genetic make-ups may have been stored so long ago that the owners have died or cannot be identified. Up until now, the idea of informed consent had prevented scientists from using the material. However, scientists claim that a ban on using DNA without consent could hold up vital research. An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill now passing through Parliament is expected to be passed.  ~ London Times, June 1

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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