Aggregated News
Should the U.S. become the first country in the world to allow food from cloned animals onto supermarket shelves? That is the debate that has raged at the Food & Drug Administration for four months, until the period for public comment on the issue closed on May 3. The FDA said on Dec. 28 that it was inclined to allow such foods into U.S. stores, based on the evidence it had reviewed, but asked for outside comment [see BusinessWeek.com, 1/11/07, "Cloned Beef Burgers: 'Delicious,'" and 4/2/07, "Extra Innings for the Cloned Food Debate"].
With the public comment period closed, it's clear that the cloning debate boils down to scientists vs. consumers. Thousands of individuals wrote to the government to voice their opposition to the prospect of cloned products being allowed into the food supply. In large part, they made emotion appeals that cloning was immoral or that cloned food was repulsive. "Unethical, disturbing, and disgusting," wrote one consumer, Lea Askren.
FDA Discounts Emotional Appeals
Scientists, on the other hand, are almost completely unified in their support of cloning. They see...