The issue of human cloning is a moral minefield guaranteed to stir passions. A reported claim by an Italian doctor that the boundary has been crossed and he has created the world's first cloned foetus brings debate to an important juncture.
Whether fertility specialist Severino Antinori has really made the breakthrough is unclear, although observers say it is likely given the track record of his controversial clinic in Rome.
Success or not is immaterial to the fact that no valid scientific reasons have yet been given as to why cloning of human beings is wrong. On the contrary, scientists have frequently espoused the medical benefits. Lives could be saved or made better by creating organs, limbs and body tissue.
Dr Antinori is no stranger to controversy. His fertility programme has long been making breakthroughs that raise ethical and moral questions. His announcement to a conference at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates that one of 5,000 women in his cloning project is eight weeks pregnant has earned him more brickbats from religious and political leaders.
It is too early to say if the foetus will develop into a baby. Researchers say the chances are slim.
Animal cloning is well advanced and commonplace. Sheep, cows, mice, pigs and rabbits are among mammals so far genetically replicated. The moral debate on such research has long died down and each new announcement has been met with increasingly less excitement.
