http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080204/98308177.html
Biomedicine - Is a human clone around the corner?
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Tatyana Sinitsyna) - There are more than three
million people who were born as test tube babies, that is, with the help of
biomedical reproductive technologies.
This fact was made public at the International Congress on Reproductive Health,
which was held in Moscow in late January and was attended by scientists from 18
countries.
Louise Brown from Britain was the first test tube baby. Next July she will
celebrate her 30th birthday. Her birth shocked the world, but the process of in
vitro fertilization quickly became commonplace and was used by infertile
couples around the world.
Religions were against the new method, and warned the public that interference
in the holy of the holiest may have serious implications for humankind.
Although most of the public also rejected surrogate maternity, biotechnologies
were making steady headway.
Even today, biotechnologies have more opponents than supporters. The "con"
arguments are mostly of ethical nature. Biomedicine is accused of encroaching
on the "act of Good." However, as distinct from 30 years ago when religion had
no room for compromise, it is now becoming more tolerant - what to do with the
children who were not born by divine rules? How can they be denied blessing?
They are not to blame for anything and should not be social outcasts.
Commenting on the arguments about the unethical nature of biotechnologies,
Professor Gennady Sukhikh, the director of the Research Center for Obstetrics,
Gynecology and Perinatology and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
emphasized that even for the most unethical issue it is possible to find moral
justification and governmental need.
"Talking about cloning, people are often referring to God. I think that if the
Universal Mind exists, cloning or biological matter production is too small a
step in evolution to trigger off a global, galactic effect. If we are afraid of
a 'horrible clone,' we should not have used the effect of nuclear fission or
the vacuum theory in physics. Our best option would have been to remain in the
Stone Age."
Biomedicine is silently winning over public opinion because its success stems
from dealing with the problems accumulated by civilization. The latter has
elevated sex to the point of absurdity. Men and particularly women are being
destroyed by greater sexual freedom, promiscuity and early sex, which are
exhausting human nature and hindering reproductive capabilities.
Today, every sixth married couple has problems with childbirth. Russia with its
dire demographic situation has more than eight million infertile couples.
Having faced reality some 15 years ago, the government introduced a new
provision for the law on health protection: "Every adult woman of child-bearing
age shall have the right to artificial insemination and embryo implantation."
The harsh press has called Louise Brown and others like her "test tube babies."
I saw a picture of Brown in the conference hall of the Russian Academy of
Sciences, which hosted the congress. She looked absolutely normal and was
affectionately hugging her baby that she had in the usual way with her husband.
Reports about recent developments in cell engineering were received with
special attention at the forum. Its participants urged international
cooperation in this sphere. But even the most impressive result in
biotechnologies may be destroyed by a phobia of cloning - the fear that a human
being will be eventually cloned.
This won't happen tomorrow - reproductive human cloning is prohibited
throughout the world, but miraculous cell technologies may already be of
tremendous help in health care.
When discussing this issue, Professor Sukhikh said: "We should not forget that
stem cells are of interest not only for cloning. They can help medicine find
better treatment for myocardial infarction and stroke and cures for multiple
sclerosis, cancer, and senile dementia, to name but a few."
Scientists believe that banning scientific ideas and research is irrational.
They see the development of biomedicine and reproductive technologies as an
attempt to learn more about living systems. This is important if only because
the growth of tumors still remains a problem; they could also help prevent
ageing and find treatment for incurable diseases.
Scientists are dreaming about the production of "spare parts" for the human
body so that it could be subjected to basic repairs like cars, aircraft and
other technical systems. Serious results have already been achieved on this
road - stem cells are being used to create different organs; a heart has
already been made in the United States. The recently deceased celebrated cardio
surgeon Valery Shumakov dreamt about the heart as a spare part.
The creators of the heart will now have to deal with immune compatibility -
what is the best way of implanting it into the human body? It would be best to
set up a genetic bank, where any person, in the prime of his life, could donate
cellular material. In the future, these cells may be used in case of disease,
trauma or organ failure. Probably, this is how the future will be.
For the time being, test tube babies are the most impressive achievement of
biotechnology. But in vitro fertilization is not perfect. Professor Sukhikh is
advocating a new promising direction - cell technologies, which will help
increase the birth rate and the number of healthy children. They are making it
possible to redress genetic defects in an embryo. Russian scientists are
already working in this field.
Yet, the question, which interests and worries everyone the most is whether
reproductive cloning of humans is possible. At the congress, this question was
answered with a resolute "yes." Scientists emphasized that cloning should be
carried out by responsible countries and for noble purposes, but it is
necessary to better study its ethical aspects and draft relevant laws. They
believe that the main task is to destroy the hypnosis of dogmas, which is
mothballing research in this direction but not the ideas of scientists.
Indeed, it would be horrible to see the emergence of a new brand of humans that
would not share our values, and would probably be even hostile toward us. But
optimists have a different view. What if the titans of thought that have paved
the way for test tube babies will produce a superior human - a physically fit
great intellectual, a flawless humanist with high moral principles?
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