An Italian doctor who helped a 62-year-old woman get pregnant in 1993 said Monday he would be cloning humans in Cyprus or the former Soviet Union if Israel thwarts his plan to work there.
Obstetrician Severino Antinori said in a statement Monday there were "other countries like Cyprus or the former Soviet Union where (cloning) could be done."
The German weekly Der Spiegel said in its Monday issue that Antinori would join Israeli scientists who were already working on human cloning.
One of the Israeli scientists, Avi Ben-Abraham, said that "Jewish belief does not oppose cloning in the same way as the Catholic church," telling Der Spiegel it was "time to move beyond the laws of nature."
But a legal adviser to the Israeli health ministry said that the parliament in Jerusalem "passed a law last year completely banning any cloning experiments on human beings, which is a criminal offense, and that's why we will not permit this project."
Antinori told the Italian newspaper Il Giornale on Monday that he "will pursue (his) project for therapeutic purposes and for the good of humanity, fully respecting laws and professional rules in countries where scientific research is free."
Antinori had presented his project at a conference at Rome's La Sapienza university last week but the president of Italy's general medical council, Benito Meledandri, insisted that the cloning of human beings is outlawed.
He would not rule out that Antinori could be questioned by council members.
"Speaking at a university is one thing. Carrying out a banned activity is another," Meledandri added – ROME (AFP)
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