A LEADING Queensland Catholic bioethicist has slammed NSW Premier Morris Iemma’s $500,000 incentive to the first scientist to produce stem cells from cloned human embryos as both immoral and financially irrational.
Queensland Bioethics Centre director Ray Campbell said the grant meant that “the first human clone now has a reward on his or her head.”
Mr Campbell made the comments in response to a report on Tuesday August 7 that Mr Iemma would actively fund the research to make NSW the world centre of stem cell and cloning technology.
The money should be applied to actual and potential cures using adult stem cells rather than chasing some pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, Mr Campbell said.
He added that the taxpayer-funded reward came after a major stem cell company ES Cell International (ESCI) had finally realised that their particular endeavour in pursuit of stem cells from cloned embryos was not economically viable.
ESCI’s work in the field had been halted, the magazine Science reported on July 20.
The latest development followed the controversial passage of legislation through NSW Parliament in June this year to allow therapeutic cloning for use in stem cell research.
At the time Church leaders, including Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, spoke out against the legislation saying that Catholic MPs, including the NSW Premier, must realise that their support for the bill had “consequences for their place in the life of the Church”.
