MALAYSIA BANS HUMAN CLONING

March 19, 1997

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter) -- Malaysia has banned the cloning of human beings because it was "against nature," Health Minister Chua Jui Meng was quoted as saying by The Star daily Tuesday.

But it will allow animals to be cloned for scientific purposes.

Chua said the Malaysian Cabinet made the decisions recently, with the cloning of humans seen as unethical and an interference with God's creation.

"Although the issue touches on animal cloning, there is talk of doing it to human beings and scientists could achieve it. This act is going against nature," Chua was quoted as saying.

He said it would be unethical for any single individual to have double or multiple selves living in different places at the same time.