RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATE ON CLONING








MOSCOW, MARCH 5, 2001. /RIA NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT PAVEL SHEVTSOV/. Some Russian academics may interpret the lack of legislation on cloning as de-facto permission to run experiments to clone "the doubles". However, it is necessary to carefully study all the aftermaths of it before the accumulated knowledge has been used. "We ought to foresee what this discovery may bring to Man in order not to clone the Frankenstein monster". This was disclosed by Alexander Afanasyev, deputy Chairman of the State Duma Health Protection and Sports Committee. The State Duma is the lower house of the Russian parliament.


	Mr Afanasyev did not rule out that in the near future the State Duma would get down to legislation on cloning, although the Duma has not yet elaborated the draft. It is evident that the cloning law is a burning issue nowadays, otherwise it looks like "everything that is not prohibited by the law is permitted". And it is very important to conduct scientific research in line with the law, Mr Afanasyev believes.


	Nikolai Daikhes - Mr Afanasyev's colleague and a deputy Chairman of the same State Duma committee - holds a different opinion on the issue. In Mr Daikhes' view, such law "is not yet needed". Researches into cloning are underway, although specific experiments are not being conducted in Russia for lack of financial support. That's why there is nothing to be regulated by the law, Mr Daikhes noted.