The debate over life-related issues has further heated up as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in Britain granted a licence allowing experts at the University of Newcastle to perform therapeutic cloning using human embryos.

With the licence, at the International Centre for Life in Newcastle, the experts from the Institute of Human Genetics at Newcastle University, and the Newcastle Fertility Centre will go ahead on their research, which aims to find out some treatments for diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease by performing therapeutic cloning using human embryos. This is the first time such a licence has been granted in Europe, as well as in the UK.

Therapeutic cloning is different from reproductive cloning that aims at creating human beings. The process starts with the creation of an embryo in the laboratory by using the egg and sperm. Cloning is performed when the nucleus of the egg is replaced with desired DNA. The embryo will be stimulated to grow. The embryo will be destroyed after the stem cells, the prior stage of tissue, are extracted to treat a wide range of diseases.

While most of the scientists and medical officers believe that it is an important area of research and a responsible use of technology, the pro-life groups hold an opposite view.

A UK pro-life group, Life’s National Chairman, Professor Jack Scarisbrick commented HFEA’s decision is deplorable. He also accused the HFEA of not giving sufficient public consultation before the licence was issued.

“This decision is not unexpected, given the HFEA’s track record,” he said, “the HFEA is allowing experimentation on human beings without even a murmur of public opposition.”

“Cloning involves the manufacture of a new kind of human being ... with the express purpose of destroying it once its stem cells are removed. This is manipulation, exploitation and trivialisation of human life of a frightening kind,” Scarisbrick stated in the press release of Life.

Josephine Quintavalle, another spokeman of Life told BBC, “No human life should be sacrificed for the benefit of anybody else, no matter how dramatic the promises are.”

While the UK has recently relaxed its laws on the genetic screening of embryos, and even granted a licence for performing therapeutic cloning using human embryos, Italy now gives embryos the same rights as citizens. This means no screening or freezing of pre-implanted embryos; no sperm or egg donation; no surrogacy or embryo research. Scarisbrick believes that the UK should have the same laws.

“We should do as the French and Italians have just done - namely, forbid all cloning. That is the civilised thing to do. As the French have said, cloning is a crime against the human species.”

Futhermore, Scarisbrick stressed on the fundermental principle, saying that there is other way to cure diseases. “We are all in favour of conquering terrible diseases. But we do not need cloning to do so. Stem cells taken from adults are likely to be just as good, if not better.”