WHY CLONE HUMAN EMBRYOS?
• Scientists want to clone embryos for research primarily to get around a problem that arises when stem cells are used from embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Embryonic stem cells, because they are foreign tissue, are often rejected by the bodys immune system. The theory is that if the person with a disease is cloned, producing an embryo that is almost identical genetically to that person, then the stem cells from the cloned embryo wouldnt be rejected. IS THERE A SCIENTIFIC DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THERAPEUTIC CLONING AND REPRODUCTIVE CLONING? NO. (see diagram 2) • In both cases, the cloning technique is exactly the same: somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT); and the product is the same: a human embryo. The only difference is the purpose for which the cloned embryo is produced. Therapeutic cloning would produce human embryos solely to harvest stem cells (which destroys the embryo). Reproductive cloning would produce human embryos in order to achieve live birth. Diagram 2:
