Kathryn: The pro-research cloning members of the commission are trying to spin the latest recommendations as an effective endorsement of their position. But note that the recommendations were unanimous, earning the support of both supporters and opponents of research cloning. Opponents of embryonic stem-cell research are on much firmer ground in claiming a victory: The specific policies outlined in the report go beyond what we have previously sought.

The council now urges that Congress prohibit “the creation ex vivo of a human embryo with the intent to transfer it to a woman’s body to initiate a pregnancy.” That’s not the same as what the pro-research cloning bills before Congress do. They make the transfer, not the creation, a crime, and thus effectively mandate the destruction of human embryos. This proposal would never require such destruction.

Second, the council unanimously agrees that Congress should set a limit past which embryo research will be illegal. It says that research that destroys human embryos older than fourteen days should not be allowed. Some council members would set the limit at ten days; others at zero.

In 2001, the president came out against federal funding of embryo destruction. The council has called for a moratorium on research cloning. These recommendations conflict with neither policy. Indeed they go further, setting limits on embryo research whether or not federally financed. The restriction on cloning is not completely enforceable, but it would do a lot to keep a reproductive cloning industry from springing up in America.

That the council made these recommendations, and did so unanimously, is a victory.