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Pastimes : Human Cloning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Apex who wrote (22)	3/10/2001 8:06:31 PM
From: Apex	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24

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.