"Cloning Advocates Fail to Make the Case for Change"

MEDIA RELEASE 30th October
DO NO HARM! Australians for Ethical Medical Research
www.cloning.org.au

CLONING ADVOCATES FAIL TO MAKE THE CASE FOR CHANGE

“Cloning advocates have failed to make the case for change” said Dr David van Gend, spokesman for DO NO HARM! Australians for Ethical Stem Cell Research in response to the tabling of the Senate Community Affairs Committee’s report on proposed legislation to allow human cloning for research.

“The report shows that while some scientists continue to hype up the case for cloning other respected scientists like Emeritus Professor Jack Martin and leading adult stem cell researcher Professor Alan Mackay-Sim have demonstrated that there is no scientific justification for attempting to create human embryo clones as a source for stem cells for either therapies or research,” Dr van Gend said.

“In 2002-03 every parliament in Australia voted unanimously to prohibit the creation of human embryo clones for destructive research. Four States – WA, SA, Tasmania and NSW – and the Howard Government support a continued ban. There is nothing new in this report to justify the Senate abandoning the ethical and principled decision it made in 2002 that we should not create human life in order to destroy it in research”.

“The report does record the tremendous advances being made with adult stem cells, which are ethically acceptable to all Australians, in disease research and use in therapies. Stem cells from human embryo clones can never be used in therapies due to their inherent genetic damage and tendency to form tumors,” Dr van Gend said.

“The radical nature of this Bill is seen in the proposal to allow the creation of human embryos using eggs from aborted baby girls. Amazingly, many supporters of the Patterson bill seem to be unaware of this provision of her bill.

“This is inhuman legislation based on misguided science. In the light of this report we hope the Senate will decisively reject the Patterson cloning bill”.