In South Korea, there has been a surge of public support for the scientist specializing in cloning, Hwang Woo-suk.
Dr. Hwang resigned from all official positions in the field of cloning last Thursday after admitting to using eggs from his junior colleagues in experiments.
This act is considered unethical as the egg donors may have been subjected to undue pressure.
Currently, hundreds of women have volunteered to donate eggs for Dr. Hwang’s research team. Thousands have also sent messages of support to him on various online forums.
Some companies have stated that they are halting advertisements on television programs that have aired investigative reports about Dr. Hwang.
Dr. Hwang has been regarded as a national hero since successfully cloning a human embryo last year, a breakthrough in research believed to potentially cure many diseases in the future.
In cloning, a woman’s egg is combined with DNA from a cell taken from the person to be cloned, which is then fused to create an embryo.
Stem cells obtained from this embryo are intended for use in treating serious diseases such as heart conditions, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s.
