Wednesday, Aug. 08, 2001
Cloning to Destroy
THE SCIENCE:
The Jones Institute, a Virginia fertility clinic where the first U.S. test-tube baby was conceived, caused an uproar last month by creating human embryos for the sole purpose of producing stem cells. At stake is a potentially limitlessand lucrativesupply of stem cells that can be used to treat disease and save lives.
THE ETHICS:
Many people, including medical ethicists, draw a clear distinction between using discarded embryos to further medical science and mass-producing countless embryos to create what are in essence stem-cell factories.