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asia.cnn.com --- June 8, 2001 Australian leaders reject human cloning ban call Embryo stem-cell research could hold cures for many diseases CANBERRA, Australia -- Australia's regional leaders have rejected a proposal to ban human cloning research, instead referring the issue back to their health ministers for further consideration. The proposed total prohibition was the initiative of Australia's conservative prime minister John Howard, who was seeking a uniform position on the issue from Australia's six states and two territories. Currently there is a disparity of positions on the issue of cloning research and human stem-cell research in Australia, with some states banning cloning research totally, some restricting stem-cell research, and others adopting a more liberal approach. In the most populous state of New South Wales, for example, state premier Bob Carr believes stem-cell research using human embryos is permissible for work designed to combat diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. In Victoria, Carr's Labor party compatriot Steve Bracks has banned any stem-cell research that results in the destruction of an embryo. This has led to research institutes in that state to import embryos from Singapore. Prime minister Howard acknowledges the importance of the medical research but believes the ethical and medical considerations are issues for all Australians and should not differ between regions of the country. Stem cell research continues "We wouldn't want to prevent the beneficial products of that kind of research being available to the citizens of Australia," Howard told radio listeners earlier this week. "But the rules governing it … have to be very tightly drawn so that you don't have any kind of de-facto development of the sort of thing we're trying to stop out of that research." Stem cells are derived from the very early stages of fetal development and are able to be used to develop any cell in the human body, thus holding the potential to development treatments for a range of currently incurable diseases. However, many fear that capacity could also potentially be used to clone whole human beings. Researchers in Britain have already managed to clone sheep and U.S. scientists have clone a rare breed of cattle. http://asia.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/auspac/06/07/australia.clones/index.html ********** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn