Massachusetts News 
By Curt Lovelace 

September 2--Holding signs that read, "Stop Cloning" and "Mengele Mania," about 70 protesters demonstrated near the headquarters of Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. in Worcester on August 8 and 9. The sign holders were joined by a man wearing a cow’s head and holding a banner reading "Stop Cow-Man Experiments." The event was a protest against what organizers called the "ghoulish enterprise" of cloning animal and human cells. 

According to speakers at the demonstration, the federal government has already banned the practice by research organizations using government funding. Only two private research firms are involved now–Advanced Cell and Geron Corporation of Menlo Park, California. 

In 1995 President Clinton banned the use of federal funds for the laboratory creation of human embryos to be harvested for medical purposes. The Worcester company and Geron have been able to continue the practice because they have obtained private funding. 

The company announced last November that they had successfully developed a method for producing primitive human embryonic stem cells by the process we now call cloning. Their hope, said a spokesman at that time, is to enable the production of an unlimited supply of stem cells for transplant therapy.  

The Rev. Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition came from his Washington, D.C. office to attend the rally. He told the protesters that his intent was to "draw a line in the sand" and put an end to human cloning. He declared that this was "the first step" in a nationwide push to end human cloning.  

Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, which organized the event with the Christian Defense Coalition, was also present at the Sunday rally. He told the protesters, "This practice makes Dr. Frankenstein’s look like a legitimate medical practice." 

John Grahey of Woburn was typical of the protesters who had assembled on this muggy Sunday afternoon, with the threat of heavy thundershowers hanging overhead. He explained to Massachusetts News that he questions why companies will allow themselves to be involved in such research. He suspects it’s all for the money. He said he "can’t believe that we’ve stooped to such a low level in this country that we would experiment with humans." He likened the experimentation to that of Hitler’s Germany. "I’m for technology," Grahey said, but added, "This has gone beyond mere technology. This is barbaric." 

Experimentation with Humans 

For those who believe that life begins at the time of conception, the cultivation of embryos is nothing less than experimentation with human beings. Jane Finn, who came to Worcester from Wilmington for the rally is one of those concerned with the humanity involved in the research. She said that the cells the researchers worked with are human cells and that, "Every human being should die a natural death with dignity. There is nothing dignified," she continued, "about putting human cells in a petrie dish and doing experiments on them." 

Bill Cotter, director of Operation Rescue in Boston, explained that the reasons for the protest were really quite simple. "We don’t use human beings as laboratories or as laboratory animals," he declared. According to Advanced Cell’s company literature, that’s exactly what they do. The company profile defines it as: "A company engaged in the research and development of technologies enabling the genetic manipulation of cells to produce transgenic animals for pharmaceutical protein production." 

The company is also developing transgenic cloned cells and tissues for applications in cell and organ transplant therapy. Besides the cow-human cloning which sparked the protest rally, they were also involved in the birth of cloned calves at the University of Massachusetts, which was announced in January, 1998. The calves were produced from "genetically altered somatic (body) cells." 

Company Will Not Talk 

Attempts to speak with Dr. Michael West, President and CEO of Advanced Cell Technologies, were not successful. A spokesman for the firm said that he was inexplicably unavailable and all efforts to reach him had failed, even on the part of their public relations firm. West previously served as President and CEO of Geron Corporation, the other target of pro-life activism regarding human cloning. 

The pro-life community is not the only group that is skeptical about the research. When the announcement was made that they had created a cell that was part human and part cow, the scientific community also expressed doubts. According to published reports, one researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, said of the announcement, "I smell a sham here." 

Protest organizers Cotter and Mahoney promised that this demonstration was the beginning of a "12 to 18 month effort" which will be waged against the two active cloning companies. Demonstrations, editorials and political pressure will be used to stop the cloning practices. Similar demonstrations are already scheduled for early October in Menlo Park, California. 

Mahoney announced that a demonstration is scheduled for September 29 at the State House. The legislature is expected to hold hearings during September on legislation concerning cell research and human experimentation. 

Operation Rescue may be reached at 781-849-6026. The Christian Defense Coaltion is at 202-547-1735. The main telephone number for Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is 508-756-1212.