Goodbye, Dolly: Rejecting Cloned Food

Ten years after scientists produced the first clone of a mammal, a sheep named Dolly, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a draft assessment that moves our nation closer to the widespread sale of meat and dairy products from animal clones.

During the next two months, Americans have the opportunity to comment on the FDA's draft and influence whether or not food from animal clones ends up in our fast food and on our supermarket shelves. Debate is under way on the possible long-term risk to human health, consumer choice, and religious and ethical concerns. The one group that stands to lose the most if the FDA's assessment is accepted is the farm animals that will suffer and die to produce food and dairy products that most Americans don't want to eat. Since animals cannot speak, those of us who care about animal welfare must speak out for them. "Unconscionable"

Over the past decade, news of Dolly's birth and subsequent announcements that scientists succeeded in producing clones of cows, pigs, goats, and other animals—even cats and dogs—have been...