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Australian Health Minister Warns Cloning, Embryo Research: “A Bridge Too Far”

Cloning/Embryo research a slippery slope that will only lead to more and more sordid human experimentation

By Peter J. Smith

CANBERRA, Australia – Australia’s federal Health Minister Tony Abbott today warned that Australia must not pursue human cloning and embryonic stem cell research. Abott said that the Nation would cross “a bridge too far” if it abandons its moral principles and encourages “extreme practices with human material” according to a story by AAP.

"I think that there are rightly limits on what people ought to do, and in my view, therapeutic cloning, so-called, is a bridge too far," said Abbott, who praised Australia’s scientists, but rejected the notion of crossing moral boundaries in the quest of advancing scientific and medical research.

"It is very hard to start muttering about the end not justifying the means,” said Abott, “and yet that has always been a classic position in the Western ethical tradition."
“I think we abandon it at our peril.”

Abbott’s comments have come in the midst of a brewing furor over proposals presented by an independent study encouraging the government to further embryonic stem-cell research by permitting and funding human cloning. A cadre of experts in law, science, and ethics, led by former federal court judge John Lockhart put forth 54 proposals to the government, recommending the government pursue somatic cell nuclear transfer (a.k.a. therapeutic human cloning), while banning reproductive human cloning.

Earlier in June, Australian Prime Minister John Howard informed members of Parliament that his cabinet had rejected adopting changes advised by the Lockhart Review. However, the Prime Minister later agreed to allow a full debate within the federal Coalition partyroom, which may occur as early as August 7.

Present legislation in Australia has limited embryonic stem cell research to working with embryos conceived in fertility clinics, but bans therapeutic cloning, a situation that has not satisfied proponents of embryonic stem cell research.

Abbott excoriated supporters of therapeutic human cloning for being "guilty of over-peddling hope to vulnerable people” and maintained there is "very little evidence embryonic stem cell research is the health nirvana".

Mr. Abbott insisted that implementation of the Lockhart Review's recommendations to clone, develop, and destroy human embryos after 14 days would start Australia down a steep descent into further human experimentation.

"I would be quite confident that were we to accept that, in a few years time, they would be saying, let's let it go for 30 days," he said.

"And a few years beyond that, we would have scientists of high standing telling us that we ought to let it go for three months and so on.

"I just think that it will be better for all of us if we don't go down this path."

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