Australia's parliament lifts ban on therapeutic cloning

Australia’s Parliament today lifted a ban on cloning human embryos for stem cell research despite opposition from the prime minister and other party leaders.

The legislation was approved by a vote of 82 to 62 in the House of Representatives in Canberra. It was passed by the Senate last month.

The party leaders were among the final speakers in a divisive debate which began in the lower house on Monday.

“I’ve decided to vote against this legislation for the reason that in the end you have to take a stand for some absolutes in our society,” Prime Minister John Howard told Parliament.

“And I think what we’re talking about here is a moral absolute and that is why I can’t support the legislation.”

Opposition Labour Party Leader Kevin Rudd later said he had similarly wrestled with his conscience over the legislation and decided he could not support it.

Supporting the legislation, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said his generation had benefited enormously from the scientific endurance and judgment of those who pioneered difficult research and legislation.

“We owe it to the next generation no less to show the same wisdom and indeed the same courage,” Nelson said.