South Korean scientists’ announcement that they had produced the first human embryos that were genetic matches for diseased patients was sobering evidence that leadership in

“therapeutic cloning” has shifted abroad while American scientists make do with private or state funds in the absence of federal support. The Korean achievement makes the current debate in Congress over federal financing of stem cell research look pathetically behind the times. Under current restrictions imposed by President Bush, federal money can be used for research on 20 stem cell lines that were derived from surplus embryos at fertility clinics years ago. That would be a missed opportunity. Stem cells derived from cloned human embryos that are genetically matched to sick patients are potentially much more useful than stem cells derived from surplus embryos at fertility clinics. Unfortunately, the House has twice passed bills to ban therapeutic cloning outright. The president threatened to veto even the modest proposals to use more surplus embryos from fertility clinics. In the upcoming struggles over stem cell legislation, supporters of sound science must ensure that no ban is imposed on therapeutic cloning that would further shackle American researchers while scientists in Asia and Britain forge ahead. — The New York Times