(7 of 7)
Hall and Stillman discovered this, to their dismay, in the glare of publicity. At an impromptu press conference the evening the story broke, and in subsequent appearances on Nightline, Good Morning America and Larry King Live, the bewildered scientists tried to keep the discussion focused on the facts of their experiment: that the embryos were defective, that they were never implanted, and that they could never have grown into living humans. Instead they had to field questions from callers like the one who wondered if their technique could be used to put a lion's head on a horse's body.
Having set the terms of the debate -- which focused not on what had actually happened but on the frightening scenarios that could arise sometime in the future -- the ethicists clearly carried the day. Hall and Stillman retreated to the last refuge of the research scientist. "We have set out to provide some basic information," said an exasperated Hall on Larry King. "It's up to the ethicists and the medical community, with input from the general public, to decide what kind of guidelines will lead us in the future."
But that stance may not be adequate in the years to come, as genetic engineering and cloning begin to converge. It is becoming increasingly apparent to the researchers exploring these frontiers that they have to become ethicists as well as scientists. Technology tends to develop a momentum of its own. The time to discuss whether it is right or wrong is before it has been put to use, not after.
CHART: NOT AVAILABLE
CREDIT: From a telephone poll of 500 adult Americans taken for TIME/CNN on Oct. 28 by Yankelovich Partners Inc. Sampling error is plus or minus 4.5%.
CAPTION: Do you think human cloning is a good thing?
Would you like to have been a clone?
If you conceived a child, might you be interested in cloning the embryo?
Do you think medical research on cloning should be allowed to continue?
Do you think human cloning is morally wrong?
Do you approve of the use of cloning for the following purposes?
Do you think human cloning should be completely legal?
CHART: NOT AVAILABLE
CREDIT: TIME Graphic by Joe Lertola
CAPTION: Test-Tube Reproduction