LONDON -- Scientists are urging Britain to allow cloning of human embryos in order to provide spare parts for the treatment of serious illnesses.
In a report that sparked immediate protests from a leading pro-life group, a panel of experts supported the government's ban on human reproductive cloning but left the door open to using the technique for creating cloned tissue and organs.
They said cloning techniques could be helpful in treating people with brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as various types of cancer in the coming years.
"New treatments might also be developed for diseased or damaged tissue," said Sir Colin Campbell, chairman of the Human Genetic Advisory Commission. "This would entail growing cells or tissue in culture and not involve human reproductive cloning.
"We believe that it would not be right at this stage to rule out limited research using such techniques, which could be of great benefit to seriously ill people."
The cloning of human beings has been banned under British law since 1990, but news last year of the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep has sparked a debate on how to regulate the technology.
The pro-life charity LIFE immediately condemned the report supporting therapeutic cloning, warning that it will be the first step towards producing full-term cloned babies -- a practice that the scientific group had specifically rejected.
Britain's 1990 Human Fertilization and Embryology Act allows embryos less than 14 days old to be used for research for specific purposes such as learning more about congenital disorders and fertility treatment but it does not cover cloning.
Copyright© 1998 Reuters Limited.
