Leading British scientists called for an international ban on human cloning yesterday but said the moratorium should not stop scientific research into cloning for therapeutic reasons.
The Royal Society, an academy of top scientists, warned that the dangers of human cloning included the risk of creating severely handicapped individuals.
"We think that a ban on reproductive cloning would have public support and is currently justified on scientific grounds. It would also help to improve the public's confidence in science", Prof Richard Gardner of the Royal Society said in a statement.
Britain became the first country to propose laws banning human reproductive cloning in April, aiming to ease public concern about the new technology and fears scientists could create Frankenstein-type monsters or a genetic underclass.
The proposals would allow therapeutic cloning, the use of stem cells - early master cells that can be coaxed to develop into most types of cell in the body - in a potentially revolutionary way to treat diseases and serious illnesses.
Human reproductive cloning, on the other hand, could theoretically be used to create a new person.
Other countries, including the United States and Australia, are also considering bans on human cloning.
In a report presented to a British government committee on stem cell research, the Royal Society highlighted the dangers of human reproductive cloning experiments.
"Our experience with animals suggests that there would be a very real danger of creating seriously handicapped individuals if anybody tries to implant cloned human embryos into the womb", Prof Gardner said.
Earlier this year Italian fertility specialist Mr Severino Antinori, who gained international fame when he helped a 62-year-old woman have a child, made world headlines when he announced his intention to become the first scientist to clone a human being.
Prof Gardner said Antinori's plan would be totally unethical.
"When these scientists talk about the possible benefits of human reproductive cloning, such as replacing a beloved child or partner lost in an accident, they betray wholly unrealistic expectations about the outcome," he said.