According to reports, eight of the women who have sought out Antinori are from the United Kingdom. In Britain, reproductive cloning will be made illegal when legislation is introduced by the government in the next Parliament. Meanwhile, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which licenses embryo research and storage and infertility treatment involving donated gametes, has announced that it would refuse to license any attempt at reproductive cloning. Hence the necessity for an airplane ticket.
Is there anything that can be done about this reproductive tourism? The British Royal Society has called for a worldwide moratorium on reproductive cloning, at least until the risks and possible justifications of the technique are explored fully. But the obstacles in the way of achieving such a moratorium are daunting and most likely insurmountable. There have been rumors that some unnamed Mediterranean country--clearly not his own--has agreed to host Antinori's efforts. And there have ...
