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The advancement of science and technology enables humans to do many things and the progress in medicine is astounding. We have the technology to clone animals and plants. Although scientists can clone human, do we want them to do so?

Will scientists somewhere or somehow clone humans? Are there cloned
individuals?

Yesterday, the Foreign Ministry and the Institute of Strategic and
International Studies jointly organized a seminar on reproductive cloning of human beings. This type of seminars is meaningful.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad says: "We don't mind the cloning of human stem cells or other tissues (cells that can form organs such as heart or liver) for research and medical treatment, but not on human reproductive cloning."

SPECIAL COMMITTEE

Apparently, at the United Nations, France and Germany have succeeded in getting the General Assembly to adopt a resolution to establish an ad hoc committee to consider drafting an international convention against the reproductive cloning of human beings.

Since the subject has become topical, many people object to the concept of human cloning on several grounds such as religious, ethical or legal.

Can we be sure that cloned individuals will be good or bad to the society? Will they be supermen or superwomen? Will they be super-criminals?

The technology in human cloning, stem or embryonic cells is important. Since last year America has established guidelines on stem cell research, allowing only certain cell lines to be used. In future, this expertise may be used to produce organs for transplantation.

Scientists are working hard to improve the technology. Malaysia has to do something to formulate our policy and guidelines. We have to encourage such researches. Hence we need a special committee to obtain public views and to formulate the policy and guidelines.

 Dr Tan Seng Giaw