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CNN Live Today
Cloning Controversy
Aired June 18, 2003 - 11:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And the American Medical Association has stepped into the cloning controversy. The AMA has endorsed cloning for research purposes. That's the first time the organization has come out and taken a stand on this issue.
Our medical news correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to tell us what this means in our "Daily Dose" of health news.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me tell you first what it doesn't mean, because cloning gets so confusing. The American Medical Association is not saying that they are in favor of cloning people. We all remember Dolly the cloned sheep. The American Medical Association has said in the past, they are against cloning people. Let's take Leon for example. They would not want to make another Leon Harris.
HARRIS: I don't think anyone would.
COHEN: Now you'll remember this group here. These are the Raelians. They claim to have cloned five people since last December, and I emphasize the word "claim" there. And the AMA has said over and over again they are against that this is what they're for.
They would be for -- we are talking about Leon as an example -- taking Leon's DNA, making a little embryonic version, and keeping that in the lab and using the embryo to make stem cells. Stem cells can be used to make medical treatments. But that embryo would be teeny tiny and stay in the lab. It would never actually turn into a person.
HARRIS: Now, no one is surprised by the AMA coming out on this, are they?
COHEN: No, they're not. As a matter of fact, many scientific groups, such as The National Academy of Sciences have said that they are in favor of so-called therapeutic cloning, again, making an embryo so that you can make stem cells out of it.
What's important here is that the American Medical Association -- obviously that name carries a lot of weight. It's the largest doctors group. And for them to come out in favor of this is important, because it puts them at odds with President Bush, because President Bush is against therapeutic cloning, as are many groups.
HARRIS: Exactly. So where does it go from here, do you think?
COHEN: Exactly. It's sort of been in the Congress, kind of in and out for quite awhile. For the past several of years, the House of Representatives has said that they are against therapeutic cloning, but the Senate has never acted on the issue. So therapeutic cloning is still legal in the United States, but it doesn't seem to quite be going anywhere, even though it starts in Congress and never finishes.
HARRIS: Got you. And actually I'm for cloning, as long as you make the other Leon Harris pay my taxes.
COHEN: There you go.
HARRIS: Thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 18, 2003 - 11:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And the American Medical Association has stepped into the cloning controversy. The AMA has endorsed cloning for research purposes. That's the first time the organization has come out and taken a stand on this issue.
Our medical news correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to tell us what this means in our "Daily Dose" of health news.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me tell you first what it doesn't mean, because cloning gets so confusing. The American Medical Association is not saying that they are in favor of cloning people. We all remember Dolly the cloned sheep. The American Medical Association has said in the past, they are against cloning people. Let's take Leon for example. They would not want to make another Leon Harris.
HARRIS: I don't think anyone would.
COHEN: Now you'll remember this group here. These are the Raelians. They claim to have cloned five people since last December, and I emphasize the word "claim" there. And the AMA has said over and over again they are against that this is what they're for.
They would be for -- we are talking about Leon as an example -- taking Leon's DNA, making a little embryonic version, and keeping that in the lab and using the embryo to make stem cells. Stem cells can be used to make medical treatments. But that embryo would be teeny tiny and stay in the lab. It would never actually turn into a person.
HARRIS: Now, no one is surprised by the AMA coming out on this, are they?
COHEN: No, they're not. As a matter of fact, many scientific groups, such as The National Academy of Sciences have said that they are in favor of so-called therapeutic cloning, again, making an embryo so that you can make stem cells out of it.
What's important here is that the American Medical Association -- obviously that name carries a lot of weight. It's the largest doctors group. And for them to come out in favor of this is important, because it puts them at odds with President Bush, because President Bush is against therapeutic cloning, as are many groups.
HARRIS: Exactly. So where does it go from here, do you think?
COHEN: Exactly. It's sort of been in the Congress, kind of in and out for quite awhile. For the past several of years, the House of Representatives has said that they are against therapeutic cloning, but the Senate has never acted on the issue. So therapeutic cloning is still legal in the United States, but it doesn't seem to quite be going anywhere, even though it starts in Congress and never finishes.
HARRIS: Got you. And actually I'm for cloning, as long as you make the other Leon Harris pay my taxes.
COHEN: There you go.
HARRIS: Thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
