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NEWS FLASH: First human clone? Pregnant man?

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PeacefulWarrior

No man has a baby in his womb, it was a hoax...and I guess I am being laughed at by somebody somewhere....but the cloning thing is real, but the proof is still about a week off...

Claim:   A man who has had an embryo implanted in his abdomen is engaged in the world's first human male pregnancy.
Status:   False.

Origins:   The possibility of a man's  becoming pregnant has been the subject of more than a few works of speculative fiction and comedy, and the topic was given some sober consideration in the media after the British weekly New Society ran an article discussing specifics of the procedure in 1986. It could be done, New Society reasoned, if an egg were fertilized in vitro and implanted in a man's abdominal cavity. The embryo would have to attach itself to a major organ, the man would have to undergo hormone injections, and the child would have to be delivered by caesarian section, but it was possible, they speculated. (The child would have to be male, though, or else the necessary hormone injections would effectively castrate the male host.)

The dangers of such a course of action are far too high for the idea to be taken as anything more than a bit of scientific "what if" entertainment, however. Although some women have successfully given birth to children conceived outside the womb, ectopic pregnancies are quite dangerous, and nearly all ectopic embryos are removed soon after diagnosis. For a man to attempt to carry a child to term in such a manner would be an unacceptably high risk (especially since the placenta would have to be left to decay inside the man's body after he gave "birth," as its removal would result in major haemorrhaging).

Now, fourteen years later, people have begun to wonder about the web site at http://malepregnancy.com, which purports to chronicle the efforts of one Lee Mingwei to carry off the "first human male pregnancy." The site hosts video clips of "Mr. Lee," an ultrasound video of his "baby," an "interview" in which he explains why he's doing this, a discussion of how male pregnancy is scientifically possible, and a chat room where visitors can discuss the "social implications" of male pregnancies.

Is this for real? No. It is, like its sister site at http://www.genochoice.com (where you can "Create your own genetically healthy child online!"), an exercise in speculative fantasy. Follow the links from the "Credits" section, and eventually you'll find a disclaimer which reads:


fides quaerens intellectum
We shall not cease from our exploration, and at the end of all our exploring, we shall arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Elliot
---------------
fides quaerens intellectum

Anonymous

The cloning of humans I do not like. Outraged I am. They have the power now... The question is, what horrible things WON'T they use it for? Just like nuclear warfare, Murphy's law states: Anything that can go wrong, will. That child is going to have a tough life. Can you imagine the people who will cast her out for being a clone? Religions and cultures everywhere. I pity her already, even though I assume much. The scientists are indifferent.

If you're going through Hell, keep going.   -Winston Churchill

They may take our lives but they shall never take our freedom!!!! -Braveheart

Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Well isn't THAT useful! -Simpsons

FightingFat

Hello everyone, I'm new here but I'm looking forward to lots of very interesting discussions!

The cloning issue is very immotive, but, coming from a perspective of love, what can the world offer such a child? Who will be its' Mother and who will be its' Father?

Our children suffer every day, some at the hands of their own parents, if we want to change the world, should we not start here? How can we think ourselves emotionally equipped for such a tremendous task without the natural bonds that come to us through parenthood?

The act seems selfish and irresponsible. There are far more important issues that need attention before we bring more life into this world.

Auctore Deo

PeacefulWarrior

Welcome!  Thanks for the insightful comments.  By the way, the child does supposedly have a mother and father (she was cloned from the mothers DNA because the father was impotent?)  but I highly doubt that any of this is legit because they are now refusing to let the baby undergo any testing to validate their outrageous claims...so we'll see...

fides quaerens intellectum
We shall not cease from our exploration, and at the end of all our exploring, we shall arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Elliot
---------------
fides quaerens intellectum

Anonymous

The governments of this world have gone too far and so have the people who have let horrible things such as these happen. It is things like this that make me want to build a starship and leave this planet. Even if I go alone. Even if no one else stands by my decisions. I have to speak out against things like this. I'm sick of civilian indifference to the things that go on in this world. I think someone should steal and destroy all nukes, information and equipment used for cloning, and all weapons of mass destruction and find those responsible for creating these things and deal with them appropriately. Someone should revolt. Do you see what they're doing? They create a problem and then it's up to the loving people of this world to put themselves at risk to stop a disaster from happening. You know a loving person would take that child and raise it as their own. The world will be distracted by this while someone else does something even more horrible.

If you're going through Hell, keep going.   -Winston Churchill

They may take our lives but they shall never take our freedom!!!! -Braveheart

The soul of any plant or creature is not something to disregard or disrespect.

PeacefulWarrior

A while back I posted some info about human cloning and a few of you were very interested....so here is the big news (claim) that was heard 'round the world today....we'll see if it's true.  (Also, after this article I posted some other interesting stuff, including a "pregnant man"):
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Group claims first cloned human born
Clonaid founded by Raelians, who believe aliens created humans
Friday, December 27, 2002 Posted: 4:44 PM EST (2144 GMT)

Brigitte Boisselier, CEO of Clonaid, said the first cloned human baby was born Thursday.  
"I am very pleased to announce that the first baby clone is born," said Brigitte Boisselier, the CEO of Clonaid and a bishop in the group, called the Raelians. "She was born yesterday at 11:55 a.m. in the country where she was born. She is fine."

Boisselier refused to disclose where Eve was born but did reveal that the mother is a 31-year-old American citizen. She said Eve was created using DNA from the mother's skin cells and is a twin of her mother.

In an exclusive interview with CNN after the announcement, Boisselier said advances in the field of human in-vitro fertilization and cow cloning added to her success.

"We have experts with 24 years of experience in the reproduction of humans and benefited from that.... (and also from) the work that has been done on cow cloning, of course," Boisselier said. "My expert, the one technician that did the embryo, did more than 3,000 cow embryos before touching any human eggs."

At the news conference, Boisselier said four other cloned babies are expected to be born by February.

Boisselier offered no immediate proof of her claim -- or photographs of the baby. She said the baby is healthy, and that the family is "very happy."

She said that she is allowing a freelance journalist to verify her claim. To that end, freelance journalist and physicist Dr. Michael Guillen has picked a panel of independent experts to investigate.

"I have accepted on two conditions: that the invitation be given with no strings attached whatsoever and that the tests be conducted by a group of independent world-class experts," Guillen said.

The experts will begin their tests in a few days when Eve returns home, Boisselier said. Results of the tests are expected in eight to nine days.

Clonaid, which calls itself the "first human cloning company," was founded by the Raelians in 1997. The Raelian movement professes that life on Earth was created through genetic engineering by extraterrestrials.

The Raelians believe the Raelian Movement Leader -- former French journalist Claude Vorilhon who now calls himself Rael -- is a direct descendant of these aliens. He says he has met with aliens and visited their planet. Rael told CNN in July 2001 that the long-term goal for human cloning is to live forever.

Rael says the Raelians eventually want to learn how to clone an adult and then "transfer the brain to the clone." Boisselier said she hopes to one day open cloning clinics on each continent to help infertile couples have families.

The Christian Coalition, in a press release, called baby Eve an "aberration" and said they will push the 108th Congress to ban human cloning in the United States.

"The cloning of human embryos for the purpose of performing destructive research and experimentation, such as that which just occurred today of 'Baby Eve,' is an aberration. It shows a total lack of respect for life and must be prevented," said Roberta Combs, president of the Christian Coalition of America.

More clones on the way?
To make a clone, scientists first take an egg and remove all of its genetic material. Then the nucleus of a cell -- any cell in the body -- is taken from the individual to be cloned and inserted into the hollowed-out egg.

The cell is then given a jolt of electricity or put in a chemical bath to activate cell division -- essentially tricking the cell into doing what a fertilized egg would normally do. Then the embryo is implanted into a woman's uterus who carries the baby to term.

Boisselier said Clonaid used this procedure of electricity to activate cell division for Eve.

At the conference, Boisselier defended human cloning, saying she is giving hope to infertile parents.

"Is my science, giving babies to parents who have been dying to get one with their own genes, is my science worse than the ones who are preparing bombs to kill people?" Boisselier said. "I am creating life."

Eve is one of ten implantations done by Clonaid. Five babies were spontaneously terminated during the first few weeks of pregnancy, Boisselier said. The next baby is expected to be born next week in northern Europe. Three other cloned human babies should be born by early February; Boisselier revealed that two of the expecting sets of parents are from Asia and another is from North America. She also said one couple is lesbian and two had babies who died and were then cloned by Clonaid.

'Not a monster'
Despite the success of the procedure, Boisselier said the event should be kept in perspective.

"It's very important to remember we are talking about a baby," Boisselier said. "She is not a monster or some result of something that is disgusting. She is a very healthy baby with very happy parents."

Rael and the parents of Eve were not at the press conference.

The Raelians are also not the only group claiming to actively try to clone a human.

Italian doctor Severino Antinori made several announcements in recent months, claiming that a woman was carrying a human clone, which would be born in January. And former University of Kentucky professor Panos Zavos has also announced plans to clone a human, but he told CNN earlier this year he had not successfully created an embryo yet.

White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said President Bush "believes like most Americans that human cloning is deeply concerning and he strongly supports legislation banning human cloning."

The cloning was pursued "despite widespead skepticism among scientists and medical professionals," Buchan said.

The announcement "underscores the need for the new Congress to act on a bipartisan bill to ban human cloning."
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THE RAELIAN MOVEMENT

Founded:  1973, France

Founder: Claude Vorilhon, who took the name Rael; his book is "The Final Message"

Basic tenet: The old Hebrew phrase "Elohim" -- usually translated as a name for God -- should have been interpreted as a reference to non-Earthlings "from the sky."  These entities are, Raelians say, responsible for the creation of life on Earth.

Membership: The organization says it comprises some 40,000 members worldwide, with highest concentrations in France, Canada and Japan. Outside researchers have suggested the membership may be smaller.
Source: The University of Virginia's New Religious Movements source
HOLLYWOOD, Florida (CNN) -- A company founded by a religious group that believes humans were created by extraterrestrials said Friday that it has created the first human clone -- a 7-pound baby girl it dubbed "Eve."

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The other story:
go to:
http://www.malepregnancy.com/


fides quaerens intellectum
We shall not cease from our exploration, and at the end of all our exploring, we shall arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Elliot
---------------
fides quaerens intellectum