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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 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn