Current Embryology debate, wondered what the general opinion was...

[Hopeyseggwasntbig]

bbc news link

I cannot see there being a situation where we'll end up cloning humans, is the negativity about this debate histeria? I truly hope that one day a cure for a dreadful disease is found as a result of this research.

Apparently one of the criticisms is about the research done on animal eggs, suggesting that the egg is an embryo. But unfertilized eggs are being used. Isn't an embryo a fertilized egg?

I, on a personal level, would love to see a cure for paralysis. I am totally for this research.

you honestly think that by stalling this vital research into horrible diseases will prevent someone cloning a human being in the long run? I can't see the connection between the two. We already know how to clone animals, the reason we do not clone human beings is a moral one. So this new technology will not make any difference to whether we do eventually clone a human being or not.
Progress always has its fear mongerers I'm afraid.

i don't mean you personally, pot pourri, i mean the way it is presented in the media.

i am actually more concerned about the church calling for mps to vote according to their own personal religious beliefs, than about the research itself. i feel very strongly that as a secular society the church (any denomination) should stay out of this debate.
I am on the side of science.

agree

I am more concerned with the whip, where MPs are not allowed to vote according to their own concience. Surely it would be more honest to just impose it, instead of dressing it up as a vote. The ideal would be a referendum - but that ain't gonna happen, so for now I think MPs should be free to make their own decisions based on their own constituency and their own consciences.

from an ethical pov, i think this should be performed only under stringent guidelines, if at all
from a religious pov, i think that if God didnt want this to happen, he wouldnt have made it possible. so, if we can make this happen and get cures for these diseases, then we should. and not doing it would be the crime.

good point pukka!

PotPourri - I asked the question what you think this proposal has to do with humans being cloned, because the correct answer is "Nothing".

The current proposal is not aimed at developing technologies for human cloning (the fact that it proposes animal eggs might provide a hint).

In fact, the technology to clone humans is already there (you may have noticed that other mammals have successfully been cloned).

So, we might one day end up cloning humans but it won't be because this bill was approved. It will be because we already know how to do it.