From: CampMars@aol.com
Date: Wed Nov 17 1999 - 14:04:20 MST
>From http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/1118po03.htm
I don't know if you guys saw this yet but here it is....
Agency to prepare bill to ban human cloning
Yomiuri Shimbun
The Science and Technology Agency will shortly start work on a bill to
prohibit human cloning, which will be submitted to the regular Diet session
in January, government sources said Wednesday.
In its draft of the final report compiled the same day, a subcommittee on
cloning of the Science and Technology Council's bioethics committee said
that human cloning should be proscribed by a law that is legally binding.
The report is to be submitted soon to a meeting of the bioethics committee.
The agency will then discuss penalties and punishments for violators of the
law with related ministries and agencies prior to preparing a bill for
submission to the Diet.
The council is an advisory organ to the prime minister.
It will be the first time in the country that life science-related studies
have been regulated by law.
Since the birth of Dolly the sheep in Britain in 1996--the first cloned
mammal--many people have become worried about the technology being used to
clone human beings.
Britain, Germany and many other major nations have legally banned human
cloning. However, in the United States, although discussions have been held
and bills have been presented, so far the U.S. Congress has passed no legal
restrictions.
Though lagging behind other major nations in this field, Japan has chosen to
implement controls similar to those of European nations.
During discussion on the draft of the final report, members of the cloning
subpanel concluded that cloning human is of no positive use, and is
therefore not worth doing.
It also said cloning violates respect for human life and poses safety
problems for those born as a result of cloning technology.
The subpanel also pointed out that using government guidelines as a control
measure would only influence doctors and researchers who belong to
institutions, and would not affect the private sector.
Thus, it concluded it is necessary to legally prohibit operations to create
human fetuses at an early stage of development by use of cloning technology
and then implant them in human or animal bodies.
This decision was obviously influenced by the fact that in the United
States, which has no laws to restrict human cloning, some private
institutions have publicly announced that they are willing to clone humans.
However, the committee also said that the law should be reviewed in three to
five years, taking into consideration future technological development. This
is because means of restricting human cloning as well as public opinion may
change, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, the committee avoided reaching a conclusion on the cultivation of
embryonic stem cells (ES cells) that are used to create fetuses. These cells
can be grown into human internal organs, utilizing the same techniques used
in the human cloning. This is because such studies may be useful in other
fields in the future, according to the sources.
They decided to continue to discuss the matter in a subcommittee of the
bioethics committee that specializes in human fetuses.
In August 1998, the Education Ministry banned the application of cloning
technology to humans, even if the fetuses were not brought to full term,
under the ministry's guidelines.
However, the guidelines proved to be insufficient, when it was revealed
earlier this month that a research group at Tokyo University of Agriculture
had carried out experiments despite government guidelines.
Furthermore, it became obvious that there were no effective measures to
prevent further such experiments.
Copyright 1999 The Yomiuri Shimbun
Eric
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