Cardinal joins critics of new plans for human cloning
    Italy's Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini has hit out at plans by doctors from Italy and the US to clone human beings.
    Italian Dr Severino Antinori and US Dr Panayiotis Zavos told a symposium in Rome that they intended to work towards cloning human beings, motivated by the desire to help infertile couples have children.
    The Milan archbishop said the cloning team should remember that "the dignity of man is the main thing. And person cannot be fabricated through technology."
    He said a human being has an "innate and natural" dignity, which should "not be violated in any way."
    The cloning team insist their project is intended to help infertile couples and have tried to avoid ethical questions.
    The doctors gave no indication when or where he might attempt cloning but said he had no intention of breaking any laws. Antinori told the BBC he had an invitation from an unnamed Mediterranean country to set up a cloning clinic.
   
   
12-Mar-01