[20011219]RS21096_克隆人.pdf

1 A somatic cell is a body cell, as opposed to a germ cell, which is an egg or sperm cell.Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21096December 19, 2001Human CloningJudith A. JohnsonSpecialist in Life SciencesDomestic Social Policy DivisionSummaryOn November 25, 2001, a Massachusetts company, Advanced Cell Technology(ACT), announced that they had created the worlds first cloned human embryos. Thecloned embryos survived only for a few hours. ACT has indicated that it intends to usesuch embryos to derive stem cells in producing new therapies for diseases like diabetesand Parkinsons disease. The ACT announcement has highlighted the ethical and socialconcerns associated with cloning human embryos. On July 31, 2001, the House passedH.R. 2505, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001, by a vote of 265-162. The billwould ban the process of human cloning as well as the importation of any productderived from an embryo created via cloning. The provisions mean that cloning could notbe used for reproductive purposes or for research on therapeutic purposes, which hasimplications for stem cell research. This report wi