The Science and Ethics of Reproductive Cloning

Explored on April 15th in “Science Matters”
A Speakers Program at the California Science Center
By: Marketwire .
Apr. 11, 2006 05:49 PM

LOS ANGELES, CA — (MARKET WIRE) — 04/11/06 — “Science Matters,” a speakers program that explores current science issues in the forefront of public concern, will present “The Science and Ethics of Reproductive Cloning” on April 15, 2006, from 1:30-3:30 pm in the Loker Conference Center at the California Science Center. As cloning technologies advance, so do the hopes and fears of people around the world — imagining that the reality of human cloning may be closer than we think. Popular news magazines report that for $30,000 you can clone your cat, and soon you will be able to clone your dog. “Science Matters” panelists will reveal the reality of current reproductive cloning science and debate the ethical issues surrounding it including the fear of eugenics, safety of current and future technologies, and potential benefits vs. unknown social and biological consequences.
Several organizations are working to institute a worldwide ban on reproductive cloning, but many countries oppose such a ban based on the belief that all cloning techniques should be available in medical research. While many favor research on therapeutic cloning for treating human disease and illness, reproductive cloning for producing offspring has always been far more controversial.
The “Science Matters” program will begin with a science presentation by Edward R.B. McCabe, M.D., Ph.D., chair, Department of Human Genetics at the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. McCabe, who is also a panelist, will explain the current science and technology of reproductive cloning. In this light, panelists will discuss the complex moral, ethical and legal issues that infuse the debate on reproductive cloning.
Other panelists include: Professor Lori B. Andrews, JD, Chicago-Kent College of Law; Hassan Hathout, M.D., Ph.D., an Islamic scholar, bio-ethicist and retired professor of Kuwait University; and Panayiotis Zavos, Ed.S., Ph.D., Director of the Andrology Institute of America, Lexington, KY. Geoffrey Cowan, Dean of the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Southern California, will serve as moderator.
The California Science Center and IMAX Theater are located in historic Exposition Park just west of the Harbor (110) Freeway at 700 State Drive, Los Angeles. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the exhibits is free. For further information, please visit our website at http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/.
Media Contact:
Shell Amega
(213) 744-7496
Published Apr. 11, 2006
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