This is really disturbing. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1913000/1913718.stm The Italian fertility doctor who last year announced plans to clone humans has reportedly said that one of the women he has been treating is pregnant with an embryo clone. Dr Severino Antinori made the comments to a reporter for the Gulf News following a medical conference in the United Arab Emirates. He said that one of the women in his care is eight weeks pregnant with a foetus that has been produced using cloning technology. He refused to give any further details, and his office in Rome would not confirm or deny the story to the BBC. Controversial views In the middle of last year, Dr Antinori was one of three doctors who told the world of their plans to clone humans. Dr Antinori defends his research saying he is helping infertile couples He has been quoted as saying he views cloning as just another form of assisted reproduction - one stage on from in-vitro fertilisation. Since the announcement, Dr Antinori has largely been shunned by the scientific establishment, with many prominent researchers describing his plans as irresponsible. Animal cloning has low rates of success, and there is evidence that surviving animals are prone to poor health and genetic defects. 'Empty publicity' If Dr Antinori really has attempted to clone a human, the implications will be enormous. If the pregnancy is successful, many other doctors will want to follow his lead - but a failure would provide renewed impetus for a global ban on human cloning, which the United Nations is working towards. The British bioethicist Dr Donald Bruce said he thought the latest news was just "empty publicity". "If it was true, a responsible scientist would announce such an event in the proper way," said the director of the Church of Scotland's Society, Religion and Technology Project.
I'm surprised more people haven't posted their opinions on this story. It was posted a few days ago by MadMax, but even then didn't get much of a response. Maybe everybody's just sick of the same ol' same ol'? http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31464
I don't have the same feelings of 'this application of Frankenstein science is so wrong' that many people do, but I am inclined to agree that this doctor is irresponsible and is doing it only for the money/fame. Helping infertile couples, my @$$. What about invitro fertilization is insufficient that we need to clone? You want to help infertile couples - convince them to adopt. There are so many unwanted, orphaned children in the world that need loving parents, loving parents with sufficient resources to afford expensive procedures like invitro and experimental cloning, for goodness' sake. I saw this documentary recently about a woman freezing her dog's cells so that she can clone it (forever) after it's passed away once the technology's developed. Lady, I don't care what comes out, but a clone of your dog IS NOT YOUR DOG. When your dog's dead, it's dead. Spending thousands of dollars to indulge some misguided love for your pet won't bring it back. Trying to cheat death when thousands and thousands of other domesticated animals get put to sleep in shelters is irresponsible. I don't mean to diminish a person's love for his pet, and I certainly don't mean to reduce orphaned children to unwanted pets, but so much of the sentimental appeal of cloning (the mistaken idea of duplicating one's self, loved one or pet) is just unhealthy and driving the economic interests of some scientists. Fortunately or unfortunately, most of what drives the cloning debate centers around the ethics of the technology and its potential humanitarian benefits/medican dangers.
Well, apparently all these decades of horror movies and sci-fi flicks have taught some people nothing.
Coneing is bad, I listen to a health show Gary Null at www.garynull.com. They talked about how bad cloneing is and it will cause terrible disease in the world that will be uncureable and a lot of people will be affected by it. They are already geneticly altering food and it has not even been researched how bad the side efffects are and the government wont admit they are wrong. Pesticides being used are destroying soil in a lot of places. Animals are being shot up with antibiotics and growth stimulating hormones to speed up their growth and than people eat these meats and these harmful chemicals are now in their dna. Go to www.garynull.com, He is a scientist and he has all these topics on his website.
I told you this would happen too much money and fame from beingthe 1st to clone I understand it. . . wanting a child JUST LIKE YOU but i would not do itl . . . the genetic mixing is what makes children so exciting Rocket River BTW having a child and Adopting one are 2 totally different things
Do you think this kid will dissappear into life or do you think he will become part of a media Blitzkrieg his whole life? I'm almost inclined to think, that after the initial buzz, he will slide into life and be forgotten.
