The majority of the 2400+ life scientists who participated in a study on cloning conducted by the Science Advisory Board strongly believe that human therapeutic cloning research should proceed
In this century, we are unlikely to face biomedical issues more complex and controversial than that of human cloning coupled with embryonic stem cell research.
Sorting through facts, suppositions and even fantasies is a challenging endeavor that can become bogged down in rhetoric.
With the stakes so high - promises of cures and therapies for a host of devastating diseases and medical conditions set against impassioned disputes about when life begins - the cloning debate has evolved beyond the realm of scientific discourse and into the spotlight of public opinion. The majority of the 2400+ life scientists who participated in a study on cloning conducted by the Science Advisory Board strongly believe that human therapeutic cloning research should proceed primarily so as not to delay or forgo critical medical benefits for patients.
While the collective responses from this study convey an urgent need to address the issues surrounding the cloning debate in a proactive manner, scientists seem pessimistic about their government's (ie, the US government's) ability to do so.
Many of them believe that cloning research will proceed with or without careful scrutiny and proper safeguards because of the availability of private funding, and therefore welcome a more open and critical approach that involves public involvement.
However, despite this inclusive attitude, scientists perceive a great divide between their own ability versus the public's ability to fully grasp the technical details of cloning that they believe will be necessary to make informed decisions.
Scientists think that the scientific community is most worried that such research would not be as carefully monitored and regulated, as it should be (ie, process-centered).
The top two concerns scientists perceive for their community regarding reproductive cloning are that there is no clear regulatory and/or monitoring authority and there are not enough research ethics protections.
In contrast, scientists assume that the public is much more concerned with the implications of reproductive cloning as interpreted through their personal moral and ethical framework (belief-centered).
The top two concerns scientists perceive for the public regarding reproductive cloning is that it is against God's will and that manipulating human life should be off-limits to science.
