Both liberals and conservatives oppose human cloning The chronicle of the debate over human cloning is usually described as a contest between religious opponents of abortion and medical researchers who strive to bring benefits to humanity. The stereotype was summarized in a January 17, 2002 Washington Post article by science journalist Rick Weiss. Implying that opponents of human cloning are the moral equivalent of the Taliban, Weiss wrote: "In November, researchers announced that they had made the first clones of human embryos, lending immediacy to warnings from religious conservatives and others that science no longer serves the nation. Moral will At the same time, the United States was fighting a war to liberate a nation far from the grip of religious conservatives who were denounced for imposing their moral code on others." (Washington) The Defender The Post's civics gently chastised Weiss for his "real or perceived bias," but the fact that he made the comparison, and that no editor removed it, is telling. In reality, opponents of human cloning are not so easy to classify. For one thing, they include many secular activists associated with the pro-choice left. Last year, in a lopsided bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives passed the Weldon bill (H.2505), which would outlaw both research and reproductive human cloning. Among those supporting the ban were 21 House members whose voting records on abortion were at least 75% pro-choice, according to scoring by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). Now, 68 left-wing activists have signed a "Declaration in Support of Legislation to Ban Cloning." Among them are famous people such as the activist Jeremy Rifkin, the New York University professor Todd Gitlin, the novelist Norman Mailer, the director of the Commonweal Margaret O'Brien, the director of the Abortion Access Project Susan Yanow, the spiritual leader of the New Age Matthew Fox and Judy Norsigian, author of the feminist manifesto book "Our Bodies, Ourselves". Among the arguments against cloning human life, these leftists point to the "commercial eugenics" that new technologies threaten to unleash. They write: “We are also concerned about the increasing bioindustrialization of life by the scientific community and life science companies and are shocked and dismayed that cloned human embryos have been patented and claimed to be human “inventions.” life and its various parts and processes to the status of mere research instruments, manufactured products, commodities and utilities." (Prepared) These are points that conservative opponents of cloning have been making for a long time, with limited effect thanks to media influence obsession with the politics of abortion.