Here’s what I mean about the “debate” being near impossible (or feeling that way) on cloning–ridiculous over-reaching rhetoric on the pro-cloning side, as a matter of course. Here’s a depressing taste of how the “debate” went in the Massachusetts state senate yesterday according to notes from a source there:

The Massachusetts State Senate approved Senate Bill 2028, endorsing research on human embryos and human cloning by a vote of 35-3, with only Senators Knapik, Lees and Moore opposing the bill (Senators Berry & Shannon were absent). There was no debate and lots of speechmaking by senators touting their handiwork and predicting their supposedly prominent place in history.
Even though the bill endorses experiments on human embryos and requires the destruction of cloned human embryos after 14 days of existence, some senators characterized it as a pro-life measure. Senator Jack Hart told the Senate that “This is the most important, significant legislation that I have and that we will ever see in our legislative careers. I am pro-life. I am a pro-life Democrat and yet I believe in this bill and I believe in this science.” Senator Bruce Tarr said that the bill “is a matter of life. A matter of cherishing, strengthening, and preserving life on this planet” because “by allowing people to do experiments they will unlock the greatest mysteries of science.”