From: George Dvorsky (sentdev@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Jan 04 2003 - 12:08:53 MST
Another cloned baby born, Clonaid says
Associated Press
Amsterdam — Clonaid, the company that said last week they'd produced the
first human clone, announced Saturday that a second such baby has been born,
this time to a Dutch lesbian couple.
Neither baby has been confirmed to be a clone by genetic testing, and
mainstream scientists are skeptical of the company's claims.
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Clonaid spokeswoman Nadine Gary said in a telephone interview the child was
born Friday night, but declined to say where.
"It's true that a second baby has been born," she said. "The parents have
Dutch nationality, but they are not in Holland."
Ms. Gary said that she expects the second baby will undergo genetic testing
to show it is a clone, with DNA identical to that of its mother. But
Thursday, chemist Brigitte Boisselier — Clonaid's chief executive and top
scientist — said the parents of the earlier baby were balking on testing.
The company had promised DNA test results to confirm their claim by the end
of this week. Independent scientists say the test should only take a day. In
television interviews, Dr. Boisselier has said the parents of the second
baby wanted to remain anonymous.
Spokeswoman Gary said that, while the parents are Dutch, the birth did not
take place in the Netherlands.
Dr. Boisselier is a member of the Raelians, a religious sect that believes
beings from outer space created life on earth.
Scientists have successfully cloned pigs and sheep, but the technology is
not reliable and most scientists say it is difficult, unethical and risky to
attempt to clone humans.
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