Recent developments in the realm of human cloning have prompted many to accept an inescapable conclusion: a growing number of countries around the world are accepting and exploring the science of human cloning as a potentially vital tool in curing sickness and disease and improving the quality of life.

A recently published study (Shaun D. Pattinson, Timothy Caulfield, BMC Med Ethics, Volume 5) showed that 23 of the 30 countries covered have already enacted some sort of legislation on the creation and use of cloned embryos. However, though the study noted a growing concern for human cloning, it also found that “no two countries have adopted identical regulatory measures on cloning,” which indicates that there is little or no coordination on a global level.

One observer likened the current state of human cloning research worldwide to an orchestra where musicians fiddled with their own tunes and melodies unmindful of each other, while another said it was more like a “race towards scientific immortality” where a spirit of competition prevailed rather than a spirit of cooperation.

There are two basic kinds of human cloning. The first is reproductive cloning, wherein the cloned embryo is implanted in a woman’s uterus. The result is the development of a normal baby that is genetically identical to the DNA donor. Scientific knowledge of normal and abnormal development can also be found. The second is therapeutic cloning whose purpose is to provide replacement organs or tissue for people. The cloned embryo contains DNA taken from the transplant patient to ensure that the cloned organs are compatible with the person’s immune system.

The vast majority of countries continue to ban reproductive cloning, which they portray as an unnatural state that is often portrayed in horror and comedy movies. Does this reflect how most people actually regard such a possibility – as something to laugh at or be afraid of? Meanwhile, non-reproductive cloning, which is cloning cells and tissues for the purpose of disease-curing research, is more widely accepted.

At present, non-reproductive cloning “could be permitted” in as many as 13 countries, including Belgium, China, Finland, Greece, Israel, Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and others.

Only two countries – Belgium and the United Kingdom – have specific legislation that permits the creation of cloned embryos for research, the study said.

A spokesman for the Human Cloning Foundation said Korea is perceived by many as the frontrunner in human cloning development. In 2005, Korea opened the World Stem Cell Hub, the first stem cell bank in the world that will serve as the core of an international consortium, also involving Great Britain and the United States, which hopes to “foster collaboration” among countries. Its main focus is to develop human cloning technology that will create new treatments for “now-incurable diseases”.

“While other countries have taken great strides in the area of human cloning research, the United States has yet to enact a national policy regarding the matter,” said David Madrigal, spokesman of the Human Cloning Foundation. He points to the fact that there is no national legislation that gives a sense of where the administration stands or a clear-cut direction where it intends to go with regard to human cloning.

“On the state level, as in the national level, the debate on whether or not human cloning is an acceptable practice from the moral perspective has stunted any real development,” said Madrigal.

There have been many significant strides that the US has taken in the last two to three years on the issue of human cloning but, unfortunately, it has not been keeping in step with the rest of the world, said Madrigal.