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In an amazing legitimate first a group of scientists in South Korea have successfully cloned a human embryo. They started off with over 200 ovocytes (eggs) and were able to create 30 blastocysts of which one formed into a "colony" of stem cells.

Stem cells are enormously important in research because they are used to create all other cells within the body and therefore are invaluable in studying and developing therapies/cures for genetic disorders. (They could hold the key to providing treatment or cures for things like ALS, Huntingtons, MS, Parkinsons and so on).

Enormous credit and thanks goes to the Korean team and the nations around the world working on stem cell research.

But its not all good news . . .

The illustrious and wise and all powerful United States has urged the United Nations (yeah the same organization that the US administration has spurned time and time again they also seem to turn to) to put forth a BAN on ALL human embryo cloning (whether for research or reproductive use, the US doesnt care, ban it). The UN has postponed a vote on such a ban.

The current US administration wants to ban all human cloning EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

In the US itself George W. Bush has "banned any federally funded research on stem cells from embryos destroyed after August 9, 2001". This means any scientists or researchers in the states cannot use anything the Koreans or anyone else comes up with but rather must use existing cells harvested before that date. (This policy is totally asinine, but should anyone around the world really expect anything more from President Zealot?) In addition the US house passed a ban on all cloning last year but it was thankfully not presented as a bill to sign to the President because it was held up in the Senate over valid concerns that such a ban would limit research and is totally, to put it as tactfully as possible, fucking stupid.

For more on the matter see the linked CNN article and please send a note to your senators and rep stating how ridiculous it is to ban cloning for research purposes.
  Scientists clone human embryos: CNN