Should we or shouldn''t we?

Sunita K
26 November 2003

Ahmedabad: Though it is several years since the possibility of human cloning first came up for discussion, the subject continues to be a highly contentious one. Now a section of the scientific community is calling for a total ban on human cloning and another school of thought is advocating that a total ban is not the solution and that options must be kept open. And as far as India is concerned, the central government does not even seem to have an opinion on the subject.

"As of now, India does not have any legislation in place that bans human cloning. This area has not, in fact, been legislated upon. But I am of the opinion that instead of human cloning, what we must aim at is human genome sequencing," says Dr Rustom Modi, vice-president (biotech division), Intas Pharmaceuticals. Intas is in the process of conducting research into various aspects of biotechnology at its R&D centre at Moraiya, near Ahmedabad, and is actively involved in the study of human genetics.

According to Modi, India is ideally placed for research into human genome sequencing. "We have the most varied diversity of people on the basis of race, ethnic background, geographical diversities, social backgrounds and religious backgrounds. We can do significant work in this arena, as the chief requirement is an understanding of the basic differences of the genetic make-up. For instance, we can find out why different people are prone to different diseases. Gujaratis, for example, are insulin-resistant, and therefore inclining towards diabetes. Studies into human genome sequencing can give us the answers to such questions. Human cloning, while theoretically possible, does come with dangers of its own, which have not been researched into fully yet."

Globally as well, several scientists are of the opinion that human cloning is not safe. Recently, the UK-based Inter-Academy Panel, a network of scientific societies representing the world's leading researchers, called for a specific ban on what it calls "reproductive cloning." The move has been backed by the world-renowned Royal Society, the British academy of science.

According to Royal Society president Lord May, "…such human cloning is a threat to the health of both the cloned child and the mother." While a number of scientists around the world have called for an international ban on the cloning of humans to make babies, only a few countries, including the UK, have so far outlawed it. In India, the situation is fluid as the subject has not been taken up in a major way by the central government.