Scientists Support Costa Rica's
Proposal for World Cloning Ban
By Rebecca Kimitch
Tico Times Staff
rkimitch@ticotimes.net

The Ministry of Foreign Relations on Friday promoted Costa Rica's policy against cloning and embryonic stem cell research by hosting two international scientists who explained why they think the controversial technology is “like slavery.”

The visit by David Prentice, from the United States, and Natalia López, from Spain, came as Costa Rica's proposal for an international ban on all human cloning, including what is called therapeutic cloning, re-enters debate in the United Nations next week, according to ministry spokesman Miguel Díaz.

Costa Rica originally proposed the ban in April 2003, based on the fundamental belief that human life begins at fertilization, making research on an embryo unethical – and “like slavery” according to Prentice.

Costa Rica's proposed ban is backed by at least 62 countries, including the United States, and the Catholic Church. Nearly all U.N. members support a ban on the use of cloning to reproduce humans. However, the issue of therapeutic cloning has proven to be one of the most controversial in U.N. history and the official international debate was put on hold last November (TT, Dec. 10. 2004).

Cloning is done by taking a female egg cell, removing its nucleus and replacing it with the nucleus of regular cell from whatever species is intended to be cloned. The egg is then stimulated, sometimes by electric shock, to make it think it is fertilized and begin reproducing.

To clone a human or animal, that embryo is then placed in a uterus for development. In therapeutic cloning, the cells reproduced in the embryo are scooped out and put on tissue cultures for research.

The goal is that these stem cells could be injected directly into parts of the body where cell damage or degeneration exists, such as cases of paralysis, and reproduce healthy cells to heal the damage.

Proponents say therapeutic cloning holds the key to curing diseases such Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.

But Prentice argued, “Therapeutic cloning is a failure. It has failed when they have tried to use it to reproduce needed tissues in mice. The cells were rejected… We haven't seen one positive experiment.”

Instead, Prentice promotes research using adult stem cells, rather than embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells are found in small quantities throughout the human body. In addition, larger quantities of adult stem cells are found in umbilical cord blood, which can be collected immediately after birth.

“We have an unlimited number of these stem cells. Treatments have been successful in animals and we are starting to see success in humans… for the treatment of heart damage, Parkinson's disease...” Prentice said. “You don't need clones to cure patients.”

The biologist said 56 illnesses and diseases can be cured with adult stem cells, including multiple sclerosis, arthritis and various cancers.

Prentice and López argued allocating funds and time to therapeutic stem cell research will take away from the progress of adult stem cell research.