Scientists first cloned a mammal in 1997 – the sheep called Dolly was cloned by scientists in Scotland led by Sir Ian Wilmut. Since then, the technique has been perfected and it is now possible to clone human embryos.
The research is very controversial and many people do not agree that it should be allowed to go ahead. Nevertheless, a type of cloning called therapeutic cloning is allowed in some countries, including the UK. This produces human embryos for the purposes of research and to obtain stem cells. The embryos are never allowed to develop into babies – in fact they only live for a few cell divisions.
There are rumours that unscrupulous scientists working in countries where there are few ethical controls might be working on cloning human embryos for implanation into surrogate mothers with the intention of producing live children. None has come forward with a success story as of October 2006.
The research is very controversial and many people do not agree that it should be allowed to go ahead. Nevertheless, a type of cloning called therapeutic cloning is allowed in some countries, including the UK. This produces human embryos for the purposes of research and to obtain stem cells. The embryos are never allowed to develop into babies – in fact they only live for a few cell divisions.
There are rumours that unscrupulous scientists working in countries where there are few ethical controls might be working on cloning human embryos for implanation into surrogate mothers with the intention of producing live children. None has come forward with a success story as of October 2006.