Imagine, for a moment, that we had the unhindered ability to replace organs that had failed: that when cancer or microbes poisoned the heart or the liver we had the power to replace it with a nearly identical healthy organ. Two weeks ago Advanced Cell Technology, a small Massachusetts biotechnology company, announced that it had taken a remarkable first step in making this possible by cloning a human embryo. And while ACT has said explicitly that it has no intention whatsoever of using the cloned embryos to impregnate a woman, the announcement caused alarm bells to ring around the world. George Bush called for a ban on the cloning of embryos and Representative Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey called ACT’s research "ghoulish work."

The visceral reaction to ACT’s announcement represents a justified concern about the ethical implications of cloning. However, in the hysteria, the distinction between reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning risks being lost. The first is the cloning of embryos with the intention of reproducing a genetically identical child. The second involves collecting stem cells from cloned embryos in order to grow replacement tissues and organs. Reproductive cloning is ethically unacceptable for many reasons; not least of which is that the procedure is in such infancy that cloning humans would almost certainly involve scores of dead clones for every successful attempt. But while reproductive cloning is unacceptable, many in the public arena have used their fear of the procedure to unfairly malign therapeutic cloning.

Therapeutic cloning will in time allow scientists to create organs that are a perfect match for those in need of a transplant. The cloned organ would be based on the recipient’s genetic material and would not require the use of debilitating immunosuppressive therapies. There would also be no chance of rejection, which is fatal. Therapeutic cloning represents the ideal in organ transplantation, as it would provide an unlimited source of organs to anyone who needs them. The need for these organs is dire.

In 1997, over 43,000 people were on the national organ waiting list, today there are nearly 80,000. Thousands of people on that list will lose their lives because they cannot get a transplant. With such staggering numbers and an ageing population that will exacerbate the shortage, it is of utmost importance that we marshal the scientific resources of society to save the lives of those needing organs. Therapeutic cloning and the embryonic stem cells that it produces represent such a solution.

Creating embryos for the purpose of research is morally unacceptable to some as they feel that it cheapens the value of human life. This opposition is understandable for those who oppose abortion and believe that life begins at conception; however, abortion, which involves termination of pregnancy at a much later stage of development than embryonic cloning, is legal in the United States and is based on the concept that life begins not at conception but at birth. Government policy towards embryonic cloning should be based on similar principles. Embryos in a petri dish, whether derived from cloned stem cells or stem cells taken from reproductive clinics are just that–cells in a petri dish that, without implantation in the womb are incapable of life.

Because both therapeutic and reproductive cloning involves copying human embryos, many have expressed the fear that cloning for therapeutic reasons would lead to reproductive cloning. This view, however, ignores the ability of public policy to determine ethical standards in medical research. We do not ban organ transplantation merely because it possible for individuals to sell their organs. Instead, we ban the sale of organs because as a society we have deemed it morally unacceptable. This policy allows medical science to preserve thousands of lives while still upholding the values of society. A similar approach is needed with therapeutic cloning.

Rather than ban all cloning outright, the president and congress should pass a clear ban outlawing cloning for reproductive purposes. Along with this ban should come oversight and tough penalties for those who undertake the cloning of human beings. This much is certain. But at the same time, the government should not prevent scientists from harnessing the powers of technology to clone embryos for stem cells and provide longer, healthier lives for everyone.

Cloning represents a new era of science and medicine that demands, as never before, that we acknowledge the ethical implications of human progress. The great potential of therapeutic cloning to save lives should not be arrested by fears of reproductive cloning or by the minority convinced that life begins at conception. A sane policy designed to prevent abuses of cloning, while allowing research to go forward is of the utmost importance. Millions of lives are at stake. As a society, we have the power to control both science and policy; the challenge is to do so wisely.