Raelian leader says cloning first step to immortality

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The leader of a religious sect that claimed to have created the first human clone Friday called the development "just the first step" toward human immortality through cloning.
Former French journalist Claude Vorilhon, who now calls himself Rael, claims to be a direct descendant of extraterrestrials who created human life on Earth through genetic engineering. A company founded by his followers announced Friday that the first human clone has been born -- a 7-pound baby girl dubbed "Eve."
The announcement was met with skepticism and concern, since other cloned mammals have had serious birth defects or developed health problems later. But in an interview with CNN, Rael dismissed concerns about health problems in cloned animals, saying "I have no doubt the child will be perfectly healthy."
"Everybody in the world now is crazy about what if the child has a problem. What if? I say, what if the child is perfectly healthy and beautiful? I think opponents to cloning are more afraid of that than of the faults," he said.
Brigitte Boisselier, the chief executive officer of the Raelian-founded company Clonaid, said Eve was created using DNA from the mother's skin cells and is a genetic twin of her mother, a 31-year-old American citizen.
"The best proof that we can have is probably the grandmother, who said she looked just like the mother," Boisselier announced Friday at a news conference in Florida.

Group aims for adult clones
The Raelians eventually hope to develop adult clones into which humans could transfer their brains, Rael said.
"Cloning a baby is just the first step. For me, it's not so important," he said. "It's a good step, but my ultimate goal is to give humanity eternal life through cloning."
Boisselier said the cloned child was born Thursday at 11:55 a.m. in an undisclosed country. A group of independent scientists has been chosen by freelance journalist and physicist Dr. Michael Guillen to verify that Eve is the first human clone.
"I have accepted on two conditions: that the invitation be given with no strings attached whatsoever and that the tests be conducted by a group of independent world-class experts," Guillen said.
Results are expected in eight to nine days, Boisselier said.

Wave of condemnation
Friday's announcement prompted a wave of condemnation from scientists -- including one who leads a rival cloning project -- as well as religious organizations and the White House.
"Without any scientific data, one has to be very, very skeptical," said Dr. Robert Lanza, the head of medical and scientific development for the private genetic research firm Advanced Cell Technologies.
"This is a group again that has no scientific track record, never published a single scientific paper in this area," Lanza said.
"They have no research experience in this area. In fact, they have never even cloned a mouse or a rabbit."
White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said President Bush "believes like most Americans that human cloning is deeply concerning, and he strongly supports legislation banning human cloning."
In January, the National Academy of Sciences recommend a ban on human cloning, but only four states -- California, Michigan, Louisiana and Rhode Island -- ban any type of cloning research.
The Food and Drug Administration claims it has jurisdiction over human cloning based on the Public Health Service and Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. It claims it would regulate the cloning process like a drug.
University of Wisconsin bioethicist Alta Charo called the announcement "an irresponsible example of medical grandstanding."

'An irresponsible experiment'
"I'm not persuaded that it has occurred," she said. "If it has occurred it is an irresponsible experiment on human beings before you have proof on other animals to determine if it is safe, and the first and most important principle of medical ethics is that you do not do harm."
Dr. Panos Zavos, the leader of another effort to clone humans, said Boisselier failed to provide any evidence of her claim.
"No events, no evidence, no signs of anything of that sort as far as delivery of a baby -- it's nothing but words," he said.
Zavos, a former University of Kentucky professor, also has announced plans to clone a human but has yet to successfully create an embryo. And Italian doctor Severino Antinori has said several times in recent months that a woman was carrying a human clone, which would be born in January.
"I think, frankly, that we are dealing with a group here that was trying to beat the competition," University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Glenn McGee said. "There is a pretty good-sized group of not-so-credible scientists trying to make Mini-Me, and one said he would make a clone my mid-January. Clonaid had one last shot, and they tried to take it."
The Christian Coalition condemned the announcement in a press release Friday, saying it, too, will push for a law banning human cloning.

Christian Coalition: 'an aberration'
"The cloning of human embryos for the purpose of performing destructive research and experimentation, such as that which just occurred today of 'Baby Eve,' is an aberration. It shows a total lack of respect for life and must be prevented," said Roberta Combs, president of the Christian Coalition of America.
To make a clone, scientists first take an egg and remove all of its genetic material. Then the nucleus of a cell -- any cell in the body -- is taken from the individual to be cloned and inserted into the hollowed-out egg.
The cell is then given a jolt of electricity or put in a chemical bath to activate cell division -- essentially tricking the cell into doing what a fertilized egg would normally do. Then the embryo is implanted into a woman's uterus who carries the baby to term.
Boisselier said Eve was the result of one of 10 implantations done by Clonaid: Five babies were spontaneously terminated during the first few weeks of pregnancy, she said.
"It's very important to remember we are talking about a baby," she said. "She is not a monster or some result of something that is disgusting. She is a very healthy baby with very happy parents."
Boisselier said the next clone is expected to be born next week in northern Europe, and three other cloned human babies should be born by early February.

Source: CNN

*shrugs*. Guess you've gotta clone something. The temptation is just too much to resist.

*clone me. cloooooooone me. Just to see what happens. You know you want to.*

How many of you are for or against human cloning. I am very very against for a wole lot of resons first ITS NOT NATRUAL! Itd sorta create more problems I understand with endangered animals but people that just goes off the jimminy Jang How.

I havent seen anything anywhere that indicates that this group is capable of cloning. And they claim a 50% success rate when every other article Ive read on the subject is closer to 1%. I doubt this is a real clone, buit I could be wrong.

Also Ive read *nothing* to indicate that the health problems usualy associated with clones - premature old age, congenital defects, etc - have been solved.

As far as cloning adults to transplant brains into them - pure SciFi.

and just to think, genetically-speaking (yes, the processes are different), all identical twins are clones. Kinda puts the damper on the entire "it's new/unnatural" argument, huh?

Homer "Hold me."
Wiggum"Only if you hold me."

Why is are all the major channels reporting on this news. It is fit for a tabloid.

The cult's name- Ralien- sounds like a Southpark dreamed-up one, to make fun of cults. Not to mention Cloneaid??? Just add water and sugar, Presto-You have a clone!

One should not discredit the archeological data that suggests ancient extra-terrestrial contact with Earth because of a wacko's hallucination concerning the download of ones mind into a new body. Puhleeeease!

I am not against researching human cloning. The potential long-term benefits outwiegh the initial risk.

What were those plants called that replicated humans and then tried to kill the originals out after they were hatched/? Just wondering. Clones will never equal souls but only twins. DW

Now thats a waste of time, your brain decays as much as the rest of your body does.

Aside from that, some of the top scientists around the world have been working on cloning for several years. The very few successful attempts have always resulted in an animal which has some type of deformity.

I personnaly don't see what is wrong with the idea of human cloning, and besides I doubt these people could do it anyway.

Havn't any of you people seen the movie The Boys From Brazil? What if someone wanys to clone Hitler or Stalin? Or, heaven forbid, Willy Nelson?

Interesting idea,Khazadman. If they did clone Hitler we would be able to see if it was just in his nature to conquer the world or if how he was raised and his experience is what caused it.

Now thats a waste of time, your brain decays as much as the rest of your body does.

</font>[/QUOTE]Are you sure? I thought that the brain was usualy healthy at death (cept from cases like Alzheimers etc), but the body could no longer support it. In that case, a clone like this could indeed be useful (whether or not creating such a clone is ethical is another matter). And then there are people who die in accidents and suchlike where the brain is very often left intact.

These guys freak me out. I met one at a ... um... establishment for adult male entertainment that my friend FORCED me to go to... She was performing there. She was asked by my friend to perform at his table and afterwards they began to talk a bit. She told him she was a Raelian and explained to him that humans were all created by extra-terrestrials usiang genetic modification. She gave us each a pamphlet titled "The True Face of God", which had a grey on the cover.
[img]graemlins/rollsay.gif[/img]

PRoblems with human cloning:

1. Is the new being a human? Does it have rights? Can it vote?
2. But, the big advantage, medically, of human cloning will be 100% reliability for transplant organs. They make a clone cell or two of you and freeze them. Then, you need a new organ, it's grown. But does the whole human have to be grown first? That's morbid. Grow a clone to chop off its arm. But, what if you can just grow the kidney in a vat? Any problems then?
3. Theft cloning. 10 years after human cloning begins, we find out a sperm bank has been making perfect clones from its reserve stores. Whose child is it - who does it belong to? What if it's 12 years old before the original "parent" discovers it?

Just some thoughts.

o_o personally I think that whatever Cult this may be has put way too much emphasis on their religeon in the media and not enogh on the science. That's also what's putting them up for so much skeptesicm. What will be the worst outcome of all this is if the clone is proven to be real, In which case we will have to submit to the Raelians as being the leaders in cloning, which makes me absolutley sick inside. Perhaps this should banned if it is used to promote a religeon over science.

The fact of the matter will soon become apparent. If they resist allowing someone to do DNA tests to verify their claims, it's surely a hoax. I personally find it terrible that they would risk a childs health letting them be created this way. This should not have happened and has very little benefit. It will be a long time before they can grow organs for transplants. It's no better anyway. Stem cells need to be removed from a living embryo that dies, so it's just as bad. Live forever the way god meant you to, by having children! Control unwanted pregnancy the smart way, with birth control. I don't like the idea of terminating embryos with the belief that they're not really alive just because someone doesn't want them to be.

This may seem like a silly point...but...arent there some people complaining that the world is over populated. If so, why do we want to duplicate people?

Creepy. I think that, regardless of whether this cult is proven wrong or right, it will disappear. Freedom of religion is a right all human beings are allowed, but you can't make pronouncements like the Raelians have without becoming a threat to someone's way of life.

Tancred