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Press conference - Public Perspectives on Human Cloning

December 01, 1998

Scientists have spoken about cloning; regulatory bodies are considering their positions; Ministers will in due course give their pronouncements - but what does the public feel about cloning? The truth is that the public have grave worries about a future society in which reproduction can occur without the need for men.

In advance of advice to Government by regulatory bodies, research carried out using focus groups by the Wellcome Trust, the world's largest medical research charity, has confirmed that not only can the public understand the science, they are able to grasp the ethical issues and social implications quickly. The survey found virtually no support for cloning for reproductive purposes even from groups which might have been expected to support it, such as infertile women, mothers who had lost children and lesbians. A pregnant women spoke for many when she said: "I was shocked to learn that babies can be conceived without a male being present."

Initially people were more prepared to support the idea of cloning technology to create stem cells, 'master-cells' which can be grown in the laboratory. But later, having thought about the implications of the technology, they expressed growing concern at the idea of using a potential "twin" as a source of spare parts and suggested that other research avenues would be preferable to this option.

One man commented: "It frightens me condemning an embryo to being a bunch of cells to experiment with." Another said: "It could be psychologically disastrous if you created an embryo to create a part for yourself and then destroyed it."

Dr Suzanne King, Head of the Trust's Consultation and Education Department, will be one of the speakers at the press conference. Alongside her will be Professor Susan Golombok from City University, London; and Dr Robin Lovell-Badge from the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London. The press conference will be chaired by Professor Sir Michael Rutter, a Governor of the Wellcome Trust and an authority on child psychiatry.

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