U.S. BIOETHICS PANEL RECOMMENDS CLONING BAN FOR NOW

June 3, 1997

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A panel of bioethics experts has recommended to U.S. President Bill Clinton that he ban human cloning for the time being, although it said the question should be re-examined in the future.

The panel of scientists, religious scholars and bioethicists said in a draft report they reached their recommendation in part because technology for safe human cloning does not yet exist.

Clinton asked the National Bioethics Advisory Commission to study the delicate questions surrounding the possibility of human cloning after a Scottish scientist announced February that he had successfully cloned an adult ewe.

But the panel said it will also recommend the government leave the door open to lifting the ban in future.

"Effects on the moral, religious, and cultural values of society may be enough to justify prohibitions in the future, but more time is needed for discussion of these concerns," the draft stated.

Soon after the scientific breakthrough, Clinton ordered a ban on the use of U.S. government funds for research on human cloning, and urged scientists to impose a voluntary moratorium on work in the field.

The White House has not commented on the report from the panel, whose recommendations are not binding.

"Everybody has a safety concern," explained Carol Greider, a member of the panel. "That's something everyone can agree on."

To date, no human has been cloned and no scientists are known to be carrying out research on human cloning.

The report will also call on research facilities -- both government and privately funded -- to self-impose a moratorium until Congress passes a legal ban, said Thomas Murray, another commission member.

While the panel's report is clear in its recommendation for a ban on human cloning, the commission members underscored that restrictions should not be placed on cloning techniques to manipulate genes to heal diseases or replace damaged tissue.