Doctor 'could clone baby in 2
years'
by Ed Harris
The controversial Italian fertility doctor who helped a
62-year-old woman give birth will today announce he is
ready to start cloning babies.
Dr Severino Antinori, known
for his brash approach to
reproductive science, will tell a
conference in Rome that a
cloned baby could be created
for an infertile couple within
two years.
The doctor, who runs a fertility
clinic in the city, believes
Britain's decision to allow
limited research into
therapeutic cloning will help his
project. He says he has 600
patients willing to undergo the
fertility treatment and is
determined to press ahead with it despite a probable
international outcry. He also claims he has the support and
backing of a Mediterranean country - which he has not
identified - for his research programme, which could begin
in October.
His announcement is certain to attract criticism from both
scientific and religious communities. Dr Antinori admitted
earlier this year: "What's good for man is not always good
for religion."
Monsignor Mauro Cozzoli, from the Vatican's bio-ethics
commission, said: "Cloning is immoral. Every child must be
born with his or her genetic individuality. They should not
be simply a photocopy of someone else." Scientists worry
that cloning with animals is still unreliable, with 40 per cent
of them born deformed.
When Dr Antinori first announced his plans for human
cloning in November 1998, he made it quite clear it would
be used only in specific circumstances.
He told the BBC at the time: "I think cloning is a good idea
in certain situations - when a man has no sperm cells it
could help him have a child. I am collaborating with
colleagues outside Italy who are carrying out animal
experiments.
"This sort of research is banned here, but there is no doubt
that cloning will be a reality within a few years." Several
scientists have said they want to clone babies but Dr
Antinori - who six years ago helped a 59-year-old
unmarried British woman have twins - is the first
researcher with the expertise and equipment to make it
possible.
The procedure would be the same as that already used for
animals. Cells from the father would be injected into an
egg, which would then be implanted into the woman's
womb to grow. The resulting child would have exactly the
same physical characteristics as the father.
Last month, the Pope also condemned the cloning of
human embryos and urged scientists to respect the dignity
of human beings.
Speaking at an international scientific meeting in Rome, he
warned that any attempt to commercialise human organs
or consider them as items of barter or trade must be
considered morally unacceptable.
Dr Antinori's work with childless couples has brought him
plenty of controversy and has led to him being dubbed
Frankenstein in some quarters.
Eight years ago, he helped Rosanna Della Corte, 62, a
farmer's wife, have a baby by implanting a donor's
fertilised egg in her uterus, making her the oldest women in
the world to give birth. Italy has no legislation on in-vitro
fertilisation. |
