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ASRM BULLETIN
Volume 3, Number 5
March 9,
2001
Cloning in the News, Again
Cloning will again be in the news today and tomorrow, in
response to the meeting hosted in Rome by Panayiotis Zavos and Severino
Antinori. They reiterated their intent to clone a human being in the next
few months in an unnamed country. In news reports the team is claiming
they have heard from more than 600 couples that wish to use cloning to
create a child. They are also quoted as saying they “are not here to
create a fuss.”
For the last several weeks ASRM leaders and staff
have done numerous media appearances and interviews on this subject. Our
most recent statement is attached below. We have been working to reassure
the public that reputable scientists and clinicians are not interested in
human cloning, and urging the media not to give these kind of announcement
more credibility than they deserve.
For a pretty good summary of
the opinion from mainstream scientists see
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31014-2001Mar6.html
For Immediate
Release
Contact: Sean Tipton
January 29,
2001
Tel: 202/863-2494
stipton@asrm.org
ASRM Statement on Attempts at Human
Cloning
Statement Attributable to Michael Soules, M.D.,
President
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
“ASRM has stated many times that we oppose any effort to
clone a human. In 1997, our organization took the lead by speaking out
early against cloning and participating with other scientific groups in a
voluntary five-year human cloning moratorium. Our Ethics Committee
recently completed a careful report on the ethical issues raised by
somatic cell nuclear cloning wherein we reiterated our opposition to any
attempt to clone an existing or previously existing human being. We have
done these things in an effort to make it clear that legitimate scientists
who are engaged in actual infertility research are not and will not use
this technology to clone a human being.
We strongly support further
research into all aspects of infertility and reproductive medicine.
Research can and often does lead to wonderful and completely unexpected
findings. It is possible that we may learn something which theoretically
could be used someday somewhere by someone to clone a human being. It is
far more likely that research will lead to new ways to treat the millions
of people who suffer from infertility. It is also likely that research
involving human reproduction and the earliest stages of human development
will lead us to cures for devastating conditions from diabetes to
cancer.
We have been down this road before. An announcement is made
of an attempt to start an effort to clone a human being and too many in
the public, the media and even policy makers take such an announcement too
seriously. Announcing such a project has nothing to do with
practicing medicine and everything to do with generating
headlines.”
ASRM, founded in 1944, has more than 8,500 members who
are devoted to advancing knowledge and expertise in reproductive medicine
and biology. ASRM-affiliate societies include the Society of
Reproductive Surgeons, the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and
Infertility, the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, and the
Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology.
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