Europe set for 'brain gain' following USA's cloning decision? The issue of cloning in relation to stem cell research took on a new angle on 31 July when the US House of representatives overwhelmingly voted to ban all cloning of human embryos and rejected an amendment which would have permitted human cloning for stem cell research. The ... The issue of cloning in relation to stem cell research took on a new angle on 31 July when the US House of representatives overwhelmingly voted to ban all cloning of human embryos and rejected an amendment which would have permitted human cloning for stem cell research. The decision has a direct bearing on researchers and scientists in Europe, as there is a possibility that US scientists will now be drawn to European countries to continue their work in this area. The position of European science organisations, such as the ESF (European science foundation) is that therapeutic cloning has real benefits. This type of work has also been endorsed by some European governments, such as the UK. The health representative of the UK's Liberal Democrats party, Dr Evan Harris, said that what is really needed is a coherent international approach to the subject. 'One consequence [of the vote] must be a move towards a consistent international approach, under which reproductive cloning is banned worldwide but carefully regulated therapeutic cloning is permitted,' he said. The decision by the House of representatives, which was welcomed by President Bush, does not become law until it has also been passed by the Democrat-led Senate. If it is passed there, strong deterrents of prison sentences and multi-million dollar fines will be put in place to uphold the ban. President Bush is also still to decide on whether stem cell research, conducted on left over embryos from fertility clinics, should receive federal funding.
