Conceiving a Clone : 1997

The Details: Timeline:
1997: Seed stuns the world.

On December 5, 1997, Harvard graduate Richard Seed announced that he planned to clone a human being before any federal laws could be enacted to ban the process. Seed's announcement added fuel to the raging ethical debate on human cloning that had been sparked by Ian Wilmut's creation of Dolly, the first clone obtained from adult cells. Seed's announcement went against President Clinton's 1997 proposal for a voluntary private moratorium against human cloning. In addition to the President's moratorium, the National Institutes of Health has specifically declared the cloning of a human being unethical.

While some scientists doubt Seed's ability to carry out his intentions, others have indicated that Seed, with over twenty years of experience in reproductive technology, is capable of performing the task. Seed, who during his announcement claimed to have already assembled an anonymous team of scientists and volunteer couples willing to carry out the first attempt at human cloning, has completed scientific feats in the past that at the time were considered wild or controversial. For example, in 1983, Richard Seed was the first to successfully transplant a human embryo from one woman to a surrogate mother who suffered from infertility problems.

While ethicists and religious figures have called human cloning the ultimate in blasphemy, the eccentric Seed views his efforts as a way to bring the human race one step closer to god.

Web Links:
Human Cloning Foundation
Interview with Richard Seed
Video: Interview with Richard Seed
Richard Seed Speaks His Views
Carbon Copy: The Story of the First Human Clone

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