➢ Scientists acquire embryonic stem cells from two sources–excess IVF eggs and SCNT. SCNT is a laboratory procedure that does not involve using a fertilized egg.

➢ SCNT, which has been done successfully in animals but not yet in humans, would provide an opportunity to grow a patient’s own cells for repairing or replacing his or her diseased cells.

➢ SCNT Process: The nucleus of an adult somatic cell, such as a skin or muscle cell, is placed in an enucleated (empty, unfertilized) egg, which is then stimulated to divide in a Petri dish for five to seven days. This procedure allows researchers to create stem cell lines that match a person’s DNA, so that they can study specific diseases as well as decrease the chance that the patient’s immune system will reject clinical treatments using the cells.

➢ Opponents claim SCNT will lead to human cloning, pointing out that SCNT was used to clone Dolly the Sheep. SCNT, however, is a process to grow cells, and would not develop into a complete human due to the vastly more complex makeup of human DNA and human fetal development (30% to 50% of the genes necessary for fetal development do not properly express during human SCNT.) Further, these cells would never be placed in a uterus, so they have no potential to develop into anything other than various cell types.

➢ Protection against the possibility of human cloning already exists. Federal FDA guidelines and university and private Institutional Review Boards (IRB’s) that grant and approve research proposals already expressly prohibit human cloning.