Of Mice and Men (forbidden knowledge)

[Aimee Farr]

Tim wrote:

> ...work on cloning is
> an exercise I'll leave for ... lawyers in Texas.

> Odds are excellent that they are at least several years away
> from actually attempting a human cloning. It's the groundwork, the
> precursor knowledge, that the government is now cracking down on. A
> very disturbing trend.

Sounds like a fertility researcher's work ON MICE has been sensationalized
into a lesbian-couple-cloning issue.

http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,2323873%255E11610,00.html
Babies: no men needed
By ANNA PATTY
12jul01

MEN may no longer be needed for human reproduction as a result of Australian
research.

Researchers from Monash University have developed a method of fertilising an
egg using cells from any part of a body  regardless of whether the body is
male or female.

Theoretically, it means that lesbian couples could reproduce without any
need for male sperm.
...

The technique has been used to fertilise a normal mouse egg by using a cell
taken from the body of another mouse.
...

A spokeswoman for Federal Attorney-General Daryl Williams said proposed
legislation to allow States to override sexual discrimination laws 
enabling them to prevent lesbian couples from participating in IVF
treatment  was before the Senate.

But Senator Brian Harradine said the Monash research was nothing short of
cloning. "The Monash researchers are engaging in asexual reproduction," he
said.

"These scientists are driven by the technological imperative  if it can be
done it should be done."

[...]


~Aimee

"Whatever we ain't got, that's what you want."