[general_re]

Well said. Let me ask you a question about diploid parthenogenesis, though - is your opposition to it absolute, or would you moderate your position if diploid parthenotes turned out to be universally non-viable?

[MHGinTN]

First, the tissue that 'might' be derived from such exploitation would be severely compromised for any application in medical terms, at least from the perspectives I've studied ... the half-complement of chromosomes would be like timebombs, possibly even tumor causing if implanted or injected into a patient for some disease state treatment. Second, if somehow the haploid began to differentiate in a staggered or mutagenic fashion, what would be in evidence is a purposely conceived severely handicapped human lifeform ... not a thing I could endorse, even though it would have zero viability for full gestational development.

Between you and me and the dog named blue, what I'm very worried about are the cross species cloning efforts being done in Japan and South America. It will not be long 'til someone tries a human-swine, or bovine-human. If cordblood stem cells could be coaxed into tissue differentiation yielding useful tissues or organs, I'm not at all opposed to implanting such in a swine or other animal (great ape perhaps) to support it until growth to usable development was evidenced. I am wary of the scientists jumping directly to human models, without the exhaustive other mammalian models being explored first. It has to be motivated by things like greed and lust for acclaim. Hurrying such delicate procedures is disasterous and usually sacrifices lives, human lives. [Experience with the pharmaceutical industry showed me that years ago.] I will have to think more on a reply if and when we find more on the possibilities.