British Scientists clones human embryo

The London Times is reporting that a team British scientists from Newcastle University have become the second group to clone a human embryo though they failed to extract any stem cells. The avowed purpose is to find cures for diseases and injuries. Human cloning has been banned throughout much of the world. I think that is as it should be. As one of the critics in the article pointed out, any kind of cloning insults human dignity. The unused embryos are destroyed. I find this type of research to be repugnant. One of the supporters of this type of research had this to say:

Other ethicists, however, said it would be immoral not to proceed. Professor Julian Savulescu, of Oxford University, said: “To fail to develop therapies that would save 100,000 people is morally equivalent to killing 100,000 people.”

It seems to me that the very thought of human cloning is immoral. Embryos are the beginning of human life and should not be tampered with.

UPDATE
According to Reuters, President Bush is set to veto a bill that would loosen restrictions on government funding for stem cell research. If he does, this will the first time in his presidency to veto a bill.

"I've made it very clear to the Congress that the use of federal money, taxpayers' money, to promote science which destroys life in order to save life -- I'm against that. And therefore if the bill does that, I will veto it," Bush told reporters during a picture-taking session with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

(R) Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware and (D) Rep. Diane DeGette of Colorado are co-sponsors of the bill. Representative Castle states that the bill would lift the cutoff date on federally funded research and that it would not lead to the creation or destruction human embryos.

President Bush supports an alternate bill that would encourage stem cell research through the use of blood from umbilical cords. After learning about another breakthrough in the Korean research, President Bush had this to say:

"I'm very concerned about cloning," Bush said. "I worry about a world in which cloning would be acceptable."

I too am very worried about human cloning becoming acceptable.