The US House of Representatives was surely reflecting the public will in its recent vote to ban cloning of human embryos. Several groups have emerged in the US claiming they have the resources and expertise to attempt human cloning (including a sect awaiting the arrival of advanced space aliens). The proposed 10-year prison terms and hefty fines should thwart those who would pursue such a macabre undertaking. The Human Cloning Bill was passed by 265 to 162 votes, much to the satisfaction of the White House which favours the cloning ban.
But President Bush will only derive limited comfort from the vote - the bill is likely to face a struggle when it reaches the Democrat-led Senate. Nor will the vote extricate President Bush from his dilemma over whether to allow federal funding for stem-cell research. The bill would ban the cloning of embryos but would not block the availability of excess embryos from fertility clinics or those recovered from abortion clinics. Mr Bush must still decide whether these activities, rather than cloning, should attract federal funds.
The House vote was less satisfactory in its potential to slow possibly valuable embryonic research. Representatives Jim Greenwood, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and Peter Deutsch, a Democrat from Florida, saw a common interest in proposing an amendment to the bill which would have permitted embryo cloning specifically for the purposes of stem-cell research. This was rejected by 249 votes to 178.
Their position receives strong support from medical researchers who see enormous potential for life- saving treatments through the manipulation of stem cells. Stem-cell research can continue as it has, working with a limited supply of embryonic cells, but the activity could be boosted greatly through the use of therapeutic cloning. These embryos would only be used for research in support of a scientific effort that could help provide transplantation tissues and cures for serious degenerative diseases.
There are hopes that, in time, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases might be defeated by the introduction of modified stem cells. Anything that can accelerate this research effort is worthy of scrutiny, but if the House bill stands as it is, this plentiful supply of stem cells will not be available.