The Intrinsic
Deceit of Amendment 2:
A False
Definition of Cloning
Subsection 6(2) of Amendment 2 reads: “Clone
or attempt to clone a human being means to implant in a uterus…anything other
than the product of fertilization of an egg…by a sperm.” This is a FALSE DEFINITION OF CLONING.
Cloning has nothing to do with implantation in
a uterus. The cloning of a human being occurs BEFORE implantation, and the
cloned human being is a cloned human being whether he or she is implanted or
not.
To clone means “to create a genetic copy
of.” This is accomplished by a procedure termed “somatic cell nuclear transfer.”
In somatic cell nuclear transfer, a
donor cell nucleus containing the complete human genetic code is transferred
into a human egg whose own nucleus has been removed, thereby creating a cloned
embryo. The false definition of cloning in Amendment 2 is intentionally
contrived to exclude somatic cell nuclear transfer from the definition of
cloning, when in fact somatic cell nuclear transfer is the technical term for
cloning.
The true definition of cloning is
universally accepted by leading medical and scientific organizations. The
National Academies of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of
Science, the International Society for Stem Cell Research, and the
American Medical Association recognize somatic cell nuclear transfer as
cloning.
As recently as June 7, 2006, The Wall Street Journal published an
article Harvard Joins New U.S. Push In
Stem Cells. The article reported: “Researchers at Harvard University said
they are beginning experiments to clone human embryos for making stem cells…The
Harvard experiments aim to take cells from patients with diseases… to create genetically
identical embryos…Harvard’s announcement comes after…closely held Advanced Cell
Technology…said in May they would also be resuming efforts to clone human
embryos for research purposes…. In the type of research planned at Harvard
University, the embryos created via cloning would be destroyed at an early
stage and their stem cells would be extracted….”
It appears that Harvard University and other
major scientific institutions recognize and confess to the universally used
scientific definition of what the process of cloning is. It has nothing to do
with implantation.
Why have the proponents of Amendment 2
concocted a false definition of cloning?
Because it makes an APPARENT BAN on
cloning NO BAN AT ALL.
From Missouri Roundtable For Life www.moroundtable.org. For more information call
(314) 854-1381.
