The Human Cloning Race

“Anytime you have those three magic words--‘human,' ‘embryo,' and ‘clone '--in the same headline, people are going to go hysterical,” says Newsweek editor Sharon Begley; maybe the scientific phrase “somatic cell nuclear transfer” would take some of the emotionalism out of the issue. There are two major reasons scientists want to pursue human cloning research: for reproductive purposes (to help infertile couples), and for therapeutic purposes (potentially offering cures for auto-immune diseases, diabetes, and spinal cord injuries, while also solving the problem of organ rejection in transplant patients). On the other side of the issue are ethicists, fundamentalists, and people who are afraid of a sci-fi dystopia consisting of designed (and perhaps patented) humans. Interesting and well-balanced, this entry in A&E's Investigative Reports series features a variety of experts and ordinary folks discussing the issues (in fact, my only criticism is the tape's persistent equation of all Christians with fundamentalist conservatives). Recommended. Related titles which may be of interest are Designer Babies (VL-5/02) and Brave New World: Why Not Clone a Human? Ethical Challenges of Biotechnology (VL-9/01). Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)