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South Korean Cloners Will Stop Using "Human Eggs" for the Moment

INCHEON, February 19, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - South Korean researchers, Profs. Hwang Woo-suk and Moon Shin-yong, who succeeded in creating 30 cloned human embryos, have announced that they will cease using human oocytes (eggs) for their cloning activities for the time being. "We tentatively stopped cloning with human eggs. We will resume such studies only after receiving international opinions and the views of the Korean government and people."

It is not known if the researchers will be employing the newly developed techniques of creating human gametes, "eggs" and sperm, by manipulating other cells. "If we don't stick to human eggs, we think there will be fewer moral disputes. So, we will use alternative sources and to that end, we will seek international cooperation," Hwang said. No indication was made at the press conference as to the nature of these "other sources".

In the world of biotechnology, it seems that there is little that cannot be justified. Father Raymond De Souza pointed out in a February 18th article in the National Post, that the bioethics "industry" is in the business of providing "permission slips to cross (ethical) lines that heretofore were thought impermissible." Since most of the biotechnology industry worldwide is funded by pharmaceutical and related industry, it is to be expected that the South Korean researchers will not have long to wait to receive the necessary approval.

Hwang again stated his opposition to so-called "reproductive" cloning. That the distinction between "reproductive" and "therapeutic" cloning is entirely fallacious seems to be lost on Dr. Hwang and his colleagues. As Fr. De Souza said, "A clone is a clone, yet the research industry is trying to convince the policymakers that the widespread revulsion at cloning can be overcome by the wholly artificial creation of 'good cloning' and 'bad cloning' categories."

Professor Hwang pointed to the law restricting cloning to "medical purposes". "The Korean National Assembly has already legislated a bioethics law, so reproductive human cloning will be impossible at least here if the study is conducted under strict monitoring." Fr. De Souza however, calls this madness. "The philosophical madness of such laws is obvious. 'Clone-and-kill' for therapy is permitted; 'clone-and-let-live' is prohibited."

Korea Times Coverage:
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200402/kt2004021914511410220.htm

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