The morning session, which included Dr. Ian Wilmut, the clone-sheep Dolly's godfather, included a scientific overview of cloning, a report on the findings and recommendations of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, and a panel on scientific freedom and responsibility. An afternoon session featured theologians.

Both Randolfe Wicker and Dr. Franklin Kameny, distinguished pioneers of the gay and lesbian liberation movement, were present for the occasion and offered spirited dissenting responses to what they considered wishy-washy dialogue on the part of the panel's scientists.

The dialogue was based on the AAAS's pre-printed questions such as: "Should cloning be regulated? Should there be a temporary moratorium on cloning? If so, should it be self-imposed by scientists or enforced by government?"

Mr. Wicker addressed AAAS attendees: "Cloning of human beings will be one of the major issues of the 21st century. This debate is too dynamic, too important to be defined by those limited-vision, politically-honed recommendations made by the National Bioethics Advisory Commission.

"Human cloning," said Wicker, "is a scientific, social and political issue. Environment/ Technology has outpaced theology. Theologians are not qualified to decide these issues on their own. Their input should be given minor, not major weight in ultimately deciding the issues raised.

"Those of us who celebrate the advent of human cloning technology are largely excluded from public debates on this issue."

Challenging what he called " the rigid mindset which so limits this debate" Wicker, referred to the panel members as "canaries all singing the same song to each other."

Dr. Kameny told GayToday he also objected to this kind of "should we clone humans? or shouldn't we?" discussion, "because the panel was acting as if they actually had some control over it." Dr. Kameny opened his remarks by saying that the panel seemed "singularly out of touch with reality."

Dr. Kameny drew his own "reality lesson," he said, "from the famous although possibly mythical King Canute, a classical figure." As a scientist himself, Kameny felt entirely comfortable telling the panel scientists:

"As you may remember, King Canute, after consultation with his advisors, just as with the National Bioethics Advisory Commission here, stood on the sea shore and ordered the tide to stop rising. And the tide rose nevertheless, no matter what King Canute said. You can wonder forever as to whether we should or whether we shouldn't and whether we shouldn't and whether we should, but wonder as you will, there will be cloning of human beings in the near future. Its going to happen and you might as well reconcile yourselves to it.

"And you would be far better advised," said Dr. Kameny, "to be cogently discussing the societal issues which will arise when it comes and it will come. Secondly you people seem to be singularly lacking in vision. You seem to be stuck in a morass of the present primitive status of the whole cloning question."

Dr. Kameny insisted that cloning wouldn't stop with "all these silly gymnastics about taking nuclei out of one cell and putting them into another cell--nuclear transfer--and all that nonsense. Its very clear exactly where its going: the questions of the differences between ova and other more differentiated cells which are presently unclear are going to be clarified and they are going to be very quickly learning how to stimulate any cell at all into embryogenesis. Cells will be taken from any doner clone parent--any live cell whatever--and stimulated into embryogenesis and it will proceed from there.

"Additionally people keep talking about wombs and uteri and how this makes men unnecessary. Nonsense. Its going to make everybody (sperm and womb) unnecessary because its quite clear that technology is very quickly going to develop highly sophisticated incubators into which this stimulated cell will be placed. There will be a surface the equivalent of the uterine wall through which nutrients and oxygen will osmose. The embryo will become implanted and the placenta will form exactly as in a womb and nine months later the incubator will be opened and voila, there will be a clone child. All done in vitro with no direct human involvement whatsoever, and you'd better recognize that that is where its going.

"And thirdly, I object to the planners of this conference over the fact that on the two panels I've attended was there was not one dedicated, ardent pro-human cloning advocate. That is unconscienceable."

Presenting a list of questions to the panel. including Dr.Wilmut, Randolfe Wicker asked:

1.) Isn't access to cloning technology a "reproductive right" especially for infertile or same sex couples, or individuals unable to reproduce through other means? Doesn't everyone have the right to see his/her genotype outlive oneself?

2.) Given that there seems to be a consensus, even among those most fervently opposed, that human cloning will eventually occur, doesn't any effort to outlaw or prevent it become just an exercise in wishful thinking?"