Cloned baby may come within a year or two

Source: CRI | 04-23-2009 10:20

A US-based fertility doctor has claimed to have cloned 14 human embryos and transferred 11 of them into the wombs of four women, revealing he can have a cloned baby within a year or two.

A file photo of Panayiotis Zavos [Photo: Guangzhou Daily]

Panayiotis Zavos told Britain's Independent newspaper that although none of the women had had a viable pregnancy as a result, the first cloned baby could now be born within a couple of years.

"There is absolutely no doubt about it... the cloned child is coming. There is absolutely no way that it will not happen," Zavos was quoted as saying.

"If we intensify our efforts, we can have a cloned baby within a year or two, but I don't know whether we can intensify our efforts to that extent."

Dr Zavos's work is widely condemned by mainstream fertility experts, who question whether the technique, which also raises complex ethical questions, is safe.