Australia votes to lift ban on cloning human embryos; victory for stem cell research.

Australia’s Senate voted to lift the ban on cloning human embryos for medical purposes in the field of stem cell research. Before the bill becomes a law it must pass the House of Representatives, a scenario that is seen as more than likely.

Therapeutic cloning of human embryos for stem cell research could pave the way for not only treatments but cures for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes as well as spinal cord injuries and severe arthritis.

Australia has already established itself as taking a progressive view in the highly controversial debate on stem cell research. In 2002 Parliament passed a law allowing for stem cells to be extracted from unused embryos that were intended for in vitro fertilization.

The latest law would allow scientists to not only extract the stem cells, but clone them for therapeutic purposes as well. According to the bill, all cloned embryos must be destroyed after 14 days and can not be implanted in a woman.

Severe penalties have been established for those who violate any rule of the law. Fear amongst those who opposed the bill was centered on science creating human-animal hybrids.

Australia’s law allowing stem cell extraction from unused embryos intended for in vitro fertilization has been a point of interest in the U.S. media as of late. Supporters of stem cell research in the United States like Michael J. Fox and Nancy Reagan have pointed out that those unused embryos are destroyed by clinics, thus eliminating any potential for the benefits they could present.