Times
Editorial, May 20
"A team in Newcastle announced [on Thursday] that it has produced Britain's first cloned human embryo, while [Friday's] report that scientists in South Korea have successfully created batches of embryonic stem cells from nine patients is progress so rapid that it threatens to overwhelm the social constraints that govern such research ...
"Briefly, the idea is to create by nuclear transfer an embryo that is an identical copy of a patient, then strip from that embryo before it becomes a person the cells that have the ability to diversify into all the organs of the body. The promise is an inexhaustible supply of spare parts, tailor-made to match their intended recipient ...
"To some, this success is a threat ... We need not feel overwhelmed. The outcome does not intensify the ethical issues that will always surround such research, but may even diminish them."
Independent
Editorial, May 20
"If stem cells can be derived from a person's skin, they will be genetically identical to that patient and will not be rejected by that person's immune system if transplanted back ... This is the purpose of these cloning experiments - and it is a laudable goal ...
"It is disingenuous of scientists to argue that the latest breakthrough in cloned embryos does not take us closer to the prospect of cloned babies; it does. But our real protection against this Brave New World scenario of human cloning is that we, as a society, have banned it. With that legal safeguard in place, we can afford to applaud and encourage those working to develop stem cell therapies that could offer the first real hope to so many."
Korea Times
Editorial, South Korea, May 20
"Professor Hwang Woo-suk and his research team have stunned the world once again with a breakthrough in stem cell cloning ... This is a great leap toward overcoming diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes. They surely deserve applause of appreciation and encouragement for this scientific feat of advancing human welfare ...
"The nation should begin to seriously agonise over ethical issues on the cloning of human embryos ... We hope Prof Hwang's team will come up with stem cell cloning technology without using human eggs, to avoid ethical debates. It would be better if they could sharply enhance the efficiency of the therapeutic cloning so that more people will be able to enjoy its benefits."
Evening Standard
Editorial, London, May 20
"It is natural that there should be excitement and a sense of pride that scientists have created Britain's first cloned human embryo. This technique has substantial potential for good ... There are, however, those who genuinely believe that such research is an interference with nature and that it is ethically objectionable because it involves the destruction of embryos.
"While it is true that human egg cells left over from IVF treatments are used in this way, it is hard to describe what takes place as the destruction of persons. A day-old human embryo, though living tissue, clearly lacks the attributes that go towards making it a person, such as sentience or the ability to survive independently. And neither the Newcastle or the Korean team are trying to use these methods to enter the morally far more problematic territory of reproductive cloning ... It is right that we should respect scientific achievements that will in themselves lead to better understanding of how diseases develop, and could one day lead to cures."
Christian Schwägerl
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany, May 20
"Even millions of embryos will have no chance against the joyful faces of people who are able to throw away their crutches, and against the disbelieving astonishment of children who lose their hereditary defects. The whole controversy will then become a remnant of a forgotten time, before the embryo was a factor in regenerative medicine, when deep respect for technology had not yet prevailed.
"Should we hope that will not come to pass? Or that we will not allow the lame to walk again, using clones?"
Wolfgang Löhr
Die Tageszeitung, Germany, May 20
"You cannot have an a la carte baby in Germany ... In some European states they are far more permissive ... [On Thursday] the successful births of two genetically selected babies were announced. These designer children were given the task of becoming 'sibling saviours' ... A message from Israel, however, shows that this will only be the first step ... There, in future, you will be allowed to use pre-implantation diagnostics [PID] in order to specify which gender you wish your child to be ... PID is also allowed if it concerns family planning; for example if you already have four boys and you want a girl.
"The parents' desire is understandable. But by doing this we continue on a slippery slope, which leads us inevitably to places we never wanted to go to. After choosing the gender, next will come special characteristics, which our generation will insist are absolutely necessary: speed genes for the sporting child, blond genes for the correct hair colour. Politicians may not let it go so far, although the decision in individual cases may be difficult."
