It is time our society replaced their current confusion and consequent fear of the word "cloning" with actual knowledge of the issue.
Therapeutic cloning (somatic cell nuclear transfer), which Sen. Hatch is promoting, offers unbelievable potential for advances in medical science. The process of therapeutic cloning involves taking a DNA sample from an adult and placing it within an embryo. The embryo is allowed to grow for a short time period. Then stem cells are removed from the embryo. These stem cells can be used to reproduce replacement organs or tissue that will perfectly match the original person. The embryo is never inside an actual womb, and therefore has no possibility of resulting in a full human clone, which most of us fear and believe is morally wrong.
Imagine patients that are no longer forced to wait for indefinitely long organ donor lists. There will always be a perfect donor for everyone — themselves. Each one of us would become our own donors. Also, medical science would advance by leaps and bounds in the curing the most crucial diseases. Imagine a world where diabetes, Parkinson's disease, blindness, AIDS, Down syndrome, etc., were annihilated because people were able to heal themselves.
I believe Sen. Orrin Hatch did choose pro-life, and I praise him for his courage.
Matt Maxwell
American Fork