Editorial: Cloning of humans should be suspended

Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2001 | 9:11 a.m.

This week in Washington the National Academy of Sciences convened a panel of scientists from around the globe to discuss the safety and ethics of human cloning. It is clear from Tuesday's meeting that there is justifiable concern that cloning would be risky, possibly causing severe defects in humans.

Alan Colman, research director of the Scottish biotech company that helped clone the sheep Dolly, said animal cloning is improving, but even he worries about its expansion. "Practice makes perfect, but it is unethical to practice on humans," he said. This is a case where science has gotten way ahead of the ethical debate. A halt to human cloning is more than warranted.

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