While it remains illegal in most countries, including the UK, scientists have reached a point where they are able to clone human embryos on a grand scale. However, it is legal for scientists to follow certain therapeutic cloning procedures, if the sole purpose of it is to study cells. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 allows scientists to study the effects of therapeutic cloning –

which is where a nucleus is taken from a cell and transferred to an egg which has also had its nucleus removed, with the new cells used as replacements for damaged or diseased tissue which could help irradiate disease in the future. Nonetheless, as it is still not available as a common treatment, this could lead to a black market, according to Dr Charles Foster, a Fellow of Green Templeton College and a Research Associate at the University of Oxford. FULL REPORT


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