Announcing the "Clone the Truth" Campaign

Whereas I am tired of reading half truths, and outright lies about cloning and embryonic stem cell research in the news media and…

Whereas the only way to correct the confusion surrounding these issues is to disseminate the correct information and…

Whereas cloning and embryonic research will receive your state and federal tax dollars if the public is not properly informed….

I hereby announce the Clone the Truth campaign!  

What is the Clone the Truth campaign?  I have resolved that every time I see cloning or embryonic stem cell research misrepresented in the news media, I will write the offender and politely inform them of their errors and ask that they print a correction.  I invite all of you to join the Clone the Truth campaign and do the same.

How to join the Clone the Truth Campaign:

1.  Read each article on cloning or embryonic stem cell research carefully.  What should you look for?

• A description of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) (also known as therapeutic cloning) that leaves out or skips over the part about the creation of an embryo.

• A description of the product of SCNT or IVF as anything but a human embryo.  This includes (but is not limited to) the following:

                    a clump of cells

                    a fertilized egg

                    an altered egg

                    a cloned cell

                    an embryonic stem cell

                    a pre-embryo

• The description of SCNT in humans as anything other than human cloning or a denial that SCNT is human cloning.

• A failure to mention that extracting stem cells from an embryo created by IVF or SCNT destroys that embryo.
• The assertion that embryonic stem cells are providing cures now or in the near future or that adult stem cells show less promise

If you are unsure, email the article to rhtaylor@marymeetsdolly.com and I will review it for you.

2.  Write a short letter to the author or many online articles allow you to post a comment.  If you are like me you will no doubt be furious, but please be polite and respectful in your correspondence.  In your letter, cite the date, title and medium of the article and quote the offending passage and then correct the author.  Then ask them to print a correction.  Here are some resources that you may use to further your case:

• An interview with James Thomson, the researcher who first isolated embryonic stem cells, where he explicitly states that an embryo is created in the cloning process.

            http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8303756/page/3/

• An animated tutorial from Princeton's Department of Molecular Biology Department that shows that SCNT creates and destroys an embryo

            http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/courses/mb427/2001/projects/09/transfertutorial.htm

• A written description of SCNT also from Princeton's Department of Molecular Biology Department that states that SCNT is cloning.

            http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/courses/mb427/2001/projects/09/transfer.htm

    http://www.stemcellresearch.org/facts/treatments.htm

3.   Pass the Clone the Truth campaign to everyone you know and encourage them to participate.   (This would be the clone part of Clone the Truth)  This is a battle of words: those who scream loudest will win.

If you are a fellow blogger, I ask that you blog about Clone the Truth

4.  Visit www.MaryMeetsDolly.com/blog regularly for updates on the Clone the Truth campaign.  Just click on the link in the right side bar.  Also, post any offending articles you find and your response by commenting under the Clone the Truth link so others can give the same author their feedback. 

I will start the ball rolling....