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June 25, 2001 Cloning gives birth to new ethics debate 2001-06-25 By Melissa Harris The Orlando Sentinel WASHINGTON -- Dave Weldon is a doctor of internal medicine who would jump at the opportunity to use cutting- edge technology to save lives. Weldon, a conservative Republican representative from Palm Bay, is vehemently opposed to human cloning -- even if it means saving lives. Weldon's role as a congressman has thrust him into a national debate over cloning, where he has found an ally in President Bush. The Bush administration favors Weldon's bill to ban human cloning and the creation of cloned human embryos for research aimed at reversing the effects of heart disease, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases and other debilitating illnesses. Cloning gets to the heart of human creation and the role science should play in reproduction. It is also wrapped up in one of the most controversial topics of our time: abortion. "Human cloning rises to the most essential question of who we are and what we might become if we open this Pandora's Box," said Rep. Michael Bilirakis, R-Fla., chairman of the energy and commerce subcommittee on health. While Weldon's bill is receiving a lot of attention in Congress, another Florida lawmaker is sponsoring competing legislation on how far the ban should go. Rep. Peter Deutsch, D-Fla., is pushing a bill that prohibits cloning humans, but would allow the cloning of embryos for research. Scientists hope this research would eliminate the need for transplants and help find cures for diseases. Weldon's legislation, which has 110 co-sponsors, would stop such research, arguing that scientists should focus on improving the success of donor transplants and the manipulation of adult -- not embryonic -- cells. Weldon is confident his legislation will pass the House, but he is unsure about the Senate. "Cloning creates additional complications, not just moral and ethical ones, but scientific complications as well," Weldon said. "You create a situation in which hundreds of labs are producing thousands of cloned embryos. Doctors are human, too, and it's inevitable that one would be implanted in the uterus." Cloning humans isn't at issue. The conflict centers on whether cloning technology for research purposes, coined "therapeutic cloning," is ethical and safe. What at first seemed to be a simple task--outlawing human cloning--has now become a complex issue with some traditional anti-abortion activists, such as Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, crossing over in support of embryonic research. Regardless of whether the eggs are allowed to mature, ethicists and religious groups are concerned about the moral implications of genetic "manufacturing." Supporters on the other side of the debate, however, expressed alarm that protecting tiny cells in Petri dishes would be more important than improving the health of America's sick and elderly. http://www.oklahoman.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=708426&pic=none&TP=getarticle * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn