What Is Biomedical Cloning?

Biomedical (or therapeutic) cloning is essentially the process of manipulating stem cells through the creation of an embryo. Embryos house stem cells, which are a type of cell in the body that can be manipulated to become any other type of cell the body may use or need. Once the stem cells are manipulated into new tissue, the tissue can be transplanted into sick patients who need it.

Who Benefits?

• People with diabetes, Parkinson's disease and paralysis could all potentially be helped through biomedical cloning. Diseases, accidents and conditions that cause a degeneration in body tissue can be treated with the transplant of new tissue. Often transplants from donors are rejected by a new recipient's body, but stem cells created with his own DNA would be compatible with his system.

The Process of Biomedical Cloning

• An adult cell is taken and the nucleus (the "brain" of the cell) is removed. A nucleus is also removed from a female reproductive cell called an ovum. The two nuclei are combined and given a small electric shock. The shock stimulates the embryonic production. From that embryo, stem cells can be harvested and manipulated to grow into muscle tissue, like a heart or kidney.

Stem-Cell Controversy

• There is a very large controversy surrounding stem-cell research and the use of embryos to harvest them. In all cases, the embryo is destroyed. An embryo is one of the first stages of human life; it is the beginning of a child. Many people are arguing over the definition of when life begins. Some think that it is only after a certain stage of development that it is "human." Others believe that because an embryo has the potential to become a human it is a life and should not be unnaturally created or destroyed.

Bimoedical Research in Politics

• Governments have put in place many laws and regulations governing cloning and biomedical research. In the United States, former President George W. Bush vetoed legislation that would expand the funding for biomedical research, taking the conservative view that it was ethically reprehensible. President Obama has since given the green light for more funding, repealing Bush's policy. So far, biomedical cloning is in the research and testing phases, and there is much more to discover before it is put into practice.

Find Out More

• The National Association for Biomedical Research has a website, nabr.org, that has a wealth of information on the subject. There are many books available--such as "Law and Ethics in Biomedical Research: Regulation, Conflict of Interest and Liability"--that detail the history of the fight for biomedical cloning on Capitol Hill. Many religious communities oppose biomedical research, and offer their own newsletters and websites with their opinions; alliancenet.org is one such site.