This debate should not be about creating life, it should be about saving lives. We agree with the American public that the cloning of human beings should not proceed at this time. The current opportunities in biomedical research to address these health challenges are unparalleled in our nation's history. This leads me to our second point. We have grave concerns that any legislative proposal that bans outright a specific scientific technology will have an extremely chilling effect on future progress in biomedical research and human healing.
Cloning refers to the production of an identical genetic copy.
It occurs naturally in human beings and animals in the birth of identical twins. In contemporary biomedical research, the cloning of DNA molecules and individual cells has become commonplace, while the cloning of individual plants or animals is carried out today in both research and commercial settings. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is one specific process that can be used for cloning. To date, there has been only a single reported case of cloning in a higher animal using an adult somatic cell as the nuclear donor. That, of course, was the report about 1 year ago from Scotland in which Dr. Ian Wilmut described the production of Dolly.