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PRESIDENT CLINTON HAS SENT CONGRESS LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PROHIBIT ANY ATTEMPT TO CLONE HUMAN BEINGS. MR. CLINTON HAD ORDERED AN URGENT STUDY OF THE ISSUE AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN FEBRUARY THAT BRITISH SCIENTISTS HAD SUCCESSFULLY CLONED A SHEEP.09-Jun-97MR. CLINTON ACTED AFTER RECEIVING A REPORT FROM A SPECIALLY CONVENED "NATIONAL BIO-ETHICS COMMISSION," WHICH SAID IT WOULD BE MORALLY UNACCEPTABLE AT PRESENT FOR ANYONE TO ATTEMPT TO CLONE A HUMAN BEING.
THE CONCEPT HAD BEEN IN THE REALM OF SCIENCE FICTION UNTIL FEBRUARY, WHEN A BRITISH SCIENTIFIC TEAM UNVEILED "DOLLY" -- AN ADULT SHEEP THAT HAD BEEN CLONED, AFTER HUNDREDS OF UNSUCCESSFUL TRIES, THROUGH A TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER.
THE 18-MEMBER STUDY PANEL INCLUDED LEADING SCIENTISTS, BIO-TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES, AND AUTHORITIES ON RELIGIOUS AND MEDICAL ETHICS. AT A WHITE HOUSE CEREMONY, PRESIDENT CLINTON EMBRACED THEIR CALL FOR A MORATORIUM ON HUMAN CLONING EXPERIMENTS BASED ON THE BRITISH TECHNIQUE. HE SAID THE PROSPECT OF HUMAN CLONES CALLS INTO QUESTION FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS AND THREATENS THE VERY CONCEPT OF THE FAMILY:
BANNING HUMAN CLONING REFLECTS OUR HUMANITY. IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. CREATING A CHILD THROUGH THIS NEW METHOD CALLS INTO QUESTION OUR MOST FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS. IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO THREATEN THE SACRED FAMILY BONDS AT THE VERY CORE OF OUR IDEALS AND OUR SOCIETY. AT ITS WORST, IT COULD LEAD TO MISGUIDED AND MALEVOLENT ATTEMPTS TO SELECT CERTAIN TRAITS, EVEN TO CREATE CERTAIN KINDS OF CHILDREN -- TO MAKE OUR CHILDREN OBJECTS, RATHER THAN CHERISHED INDIVIDUALS.
THE PRESIDENT'S LEGISLATION WOULD NOT PROHIBIT THE CLONING OF ANIMALS OR CLONING-RELATED TECHNOLOGIES, WHICH HAVE PRODUCED MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS. IT ALSO PROVIDES FOR A CONTINUING NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON THE COMPLEX ISSUE, AND A REVIEW OF THE CLONING PROHIBITION IN FIVE YEARS.
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BIO-ETHICS PANEL, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT HAROLD SHAPIRO, SAID THE UNDERLYING MORAL ISSUES INVOLVED CANNOT BE RESOLVED WITHOUT A GREAT DEAL MORE INFORMATION AND DELIBERATION:
WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT THIS ISSUE CAREFULLY, AND TO EVALUATE BOTH ACCUMULATING SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND ALSO EVALUATE OUR OWN MORAL STANCE WITH RESPECT TO THESE ISSUES. THE COUNTRY REALLY HAS NOT HAD TIME IN 90 DAYS, OR 100 DAYS NOW, TO REALLY THINK THROUGH THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS, EITHER FOR FAITH COMMITMENTS OR OTHER IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND CULTURAL COMMITMENTS AND VALUES THAT PEOPLE HAVE.
IN HIS REMARKS, PRESIDENT CLINTON URGED OTHER COUNTRIES TO JOIN THE UNITED STATES IN PROHIBITING HUMAN CLONING EXPERIMENTS, AND SAID A BAN ON THE USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR SUCH ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT WHILE CONGRESS CONSIDERS HIS LEGISLATION.