THE US: Supporters in the US Senate of therapeutic cloning have scored a major coup with the announcement that the conservative, minority leader on the Judiciary Committee, Mr Orrin Hatch, will co-sponsor their bill.
Mr Hatch, a Republican and a Mormon from Utah with considerable authority as a fervent anti-abortion campaigner on "pro-life" issues, said on Tuesday that he will support a measure proposed by Mr Ted Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts), among others, which will ban the cloning of human beings but allow production of stem cells for research.
His willingness to back the bill, which was amended to win his support, makes it much more likely the evenly divided Senate will reject the total ban on cloning in an alternative bill which has passed the House and is backed by the Bush Administration.
Senate observers say the bill proposed by Mr Kennedy, Mr Tom Harkin (Democrat, Iowa), Mr Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania) and Ms Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) currently has backing from about 40 members, while the same number oppose it and 20 remain undecided. Mr Hatch's support could make a key difference.
Mr Hatch said his current position is consistent with his principles, even if it pits him against some of his former allies.
"I strongly believe that a critical part of being pro-life is to support measures that help the living," he said.