Government Cloning Regulation For years, the prospect of human cloning has been fodder for scandalous science fiction stories and nothing more. However, in more recent times, human cloning has come remarkably close to becoming a reality. As a result, the issue has elicited a number of strong reactions, both praising and condemning the procedure. The fact that human cloning does not only indirectly affect human life, but actually involves intervention in human creation, has brought human cloning into a controversial position. The progress of the human cloning issue, therefore, has been shaped not only by the skills and resources of scientists, but also by public opinion and government regulation resulting from public pressure. Although the issue of human cloning has received the most domestic attention in the past two years, cloning techniques have existed since the late 1970s. The cloning technique used at that time was a process called artificial twinning which involved dividing a single fertilized egg into what are then considered new embryos and then implanting each into a female to be carried to term (religioustolerance.org 1 ). These experiments, however, were limited to animals. In the 1980s and early 1990s, during the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, restrictions were placed on human cloning research. Pro-life groups, which have considerable influence in the Republican Party, have had many concerns about the experimentation and destruction of human embryos, which they consider to be people with rights, which is why they have lobbied the administration for restrictions on research (cac .psu.edu 1). A series of measures were thus implemented that prohibit federal funding of human cloning... at the heart of the document... lauded, but the science that interferes with the creation of human life is seen by many as entirely different. People are still not sure whether and to what extent scientists should be involved in this area. This is, in fact, the prevailing opinion. As a result, the field of human cloning has been shaped by these attitudes. At present, human cloning both nationally and internationally is essentially an unacceptable practice. It remains to be seen whether scientists like Richard Seed will succeed, but the consensus seems to be that the world is not yet ready for full-blown human cloning. As a result, efforts have been made to impede the scientific process and to push human cloning into the distant future. Works Cited Bovsun, Mara. “Flaws Found in Proposed Cloning Ban.” http://biz.yahoo.com/upi/98/02/13/general_views/usscience_4.html.