Green light for embryo cloning

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The House of Lords has backed new government rules to allow limited cloning of human embryos, though religious leaders from across the spectrum urged them to oppose the measures.

Peers in parliament's upper chamber voted by 212 to 92 on Monday to allow research using stem cells to develop treatments for killer diseases such as leukaemia, Parkinson's and cancer.

Debate raged for seven hours but as MPs in the elected House of Commons passed the order by a majority of two to one late last year, it will now become law.

Prime Minister Tony Blair argues the move would allow Britain to stay at the forefront of the booming biotechnology industry. But right-to-life groups and religious leaders see it as the first step down a slippery slope to full human cloning.

Independent peer Lord Alton, a "pro-life" campaigner, released a letter from Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and Britain's Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, urging parliament to set aside the laws.

Alton said the government was railroading the order through parliament without proper scrutiny and proposed a motion that would freeze the legislation until a special committee had heard exhaustive evidence from experts.

"It is precisely because we need to consider these things in detail that we shouldn't be stampeded into making decisions," he said, adding that Britain was now out on an international limb.

MESSAGE BOARD Inside the United Kingdom Genetic tinkering

"There are many strong ethical and scientific arguments which may be deployed against cloning techniques but we are also strongly at variance with international opinion," he said.

The European Parliament has urged Britain to stop its plans.

Alton's amendment fell as the government bought off opponents by promising to allow a committee of experts to scrutinise the ethics and science of the issue as long as the House of Lords voted the order through on the night.

Health minister Lord Hunt said Britain would legislate to ensure full human cloning never happened even though safeguards were already in place.

Stem cells are master cells that can develop into different cell types such as blood, brain and bones.

They offer the potential to treat diseases ranging from Parkinson's, diabetes and cancers to leukaemia, hepatitis and stroke.

"The science is clear that this research has the potential to provide the answers for these diseases," Hunt said.

"The human embryo has a special status and we owe a measure of respect to the embryo. We also owe a measure of respect to the millions of people living with these devastating illnesses and the millions who are yet to show signs of them."

The order changes the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act of 1990, extending the scope for research on stem cells from human embryos but leaving human cloning illegal.

The leader of Britain's Catholics, Archbishop of Westminster Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, said stem cells could just as easily be obtained from adults as embryos.

But scientists say stem cells from early embryos, less than one week old, offer the greatest potential for human benefit.

Blair has courted controversy by strongly backing the technology

Copyright 2001 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Archbishop condemns embryo research
December 20, 2000
Pope condemns human embryo cloning
August 29, 2000
British government action on cloning stirs international debate
August 17, 2000

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
European Parliament

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