WIRE: 11/25/2001 5:28 pm ET
Cloning Report May Spur Debate in U.S. Congress
By Joanne Kenen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A biotechnology firm's announcement
on Sunday it had cloned human embryos for therapeutic stem
cell purposes for the first time is likely to renew congressional
efforts to set limits on scientific frontiers.

The House has already backed a broad ban on this type of
research, and President Bush has praised that bill. The Senate
has not yet taken up companion legislation and several senators
said they did not want to rush into legislation without fully
understanding the scientific implications.

Some senators have said they want to allow some cloning
research for therapeutic purposes, but want to bar cloning
people. Others are strongly opposed to cloning in any form.

The announcement by Advanced Cell Technology Inc., a
private firm based in Worcester, Massachusetts,  drew
quick responses from Capitol Hill.

"With this new breakthrough, the Senate will step back and
say we can see that we can't stop the march of science; where
do we want the draw the proper public policy and moral lines?,"
Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin said on CNN's "Late
Edition."

The scientists at Advanced Cell Technology said they had
used two different techniques to clone embryos, but wanted to
mine them for stem cells to treat disease. They said they had
no plans to try to implant them in a woman's womb and try to
make a cloned human baby.

Many scientists believe stem cells hold enormous potential
for treating an array of diseases, including diabetes,
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, perhaps even AIDS and cancer.
But the research has been mired in ethical debate about the
when life begins and about destroying embryos to extract
the cells.

The U.S. House last August approved a sweeping ban on
human cloning, whether used for reproductive purposes or
for therapeutic medical research.

Bush, who did not answer questions about cloning when he
returned to the White House on Sunday from his
Thanksgiving weekend at Camp David, at the time called the
House vote a "strong ethical statement."

The National Right to Life Committee immediately called on
the Senate to enact the House ban. "Any senator who votes
against the ban on human cloning will be voting to approve
human embryo farms opening for business soon," said the
group's legislative director, Douglas Johnson.

The Senate has moved more slowly than the House, putting
off for at least a few more months contentious related debate
on stem cell research. Some senators want to strike a balance
that will allow therapeutic progress but not allow cloning.

'SENATE SHOULD BE DELIBERATE'
"I support the cloning for research purposes, but we
vehemently oppose any cloning for purposes of human
replication," Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle told "Fox
News Sunday."

"I find it (cloning) very, very troubling. I think most of
the Congress would," Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat,
said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Several senators said they did not expect immediate action,
particularly since Congress is already staying in session much
later than usual this year as it copes with emergency
legislation arising from the Sept. 11 attacks.

"The Senate should be deliberate," Sen. Richard Lugar, an
Indiana Republican, said on CNN's "Late Edition." He said he
would need much more information before trying to develop
a legislative position.

"I believe it will be perhaps a big debate, but at the end
of the day I don't believe that we're going to let the cloning
of human embryos go on," Alabama Republican Richard Shelby
told the NBC program.

Lawmakers also noted that if the research was banned in the
United States, it would probably continue overseas, and Durbin
and others said they would like to see an international code
for such research around the globe.

The scientists at Advanced Cell Technology emphasized
the distinction between a ball of "pre-embryonic" cells and a
cloned human baby. But people who oppose research on
moral grounds do not think it makes much difference,
and they oppose any and all human cloning.

SOURCE:  Reuters News Service
http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/SciTech/reuters20011125_176.html

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