Embryonic stem cells under high magnification. Autralia voted on Wednesday to legalise cloning of stem cells from aborted human embryos.

Credit: istockphoto

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SYDNEY: Australia overturned a ban on cloning human embryos for stem cell research late on Wednesday, amid impassioned arguments on the floor of parliament.

The late-night vote in Australia's House of Representatives swept aside objections from both Prime Minister John Howard and Kevin Rudd, the new leader of the opposition. It clears the way for researchers to engage in therapeutic cloning, which may one day lead to cures for debilitating diseases such as Parkinson's and dementia.

Opponents of the controversial process have called it immoral and said it would take science too far. Both Howard and Rudd made impassioned 11th-hour speeches against the legislation, and said they would be voting against repealing the ban.

Strong support for the bill overrode their objections, and the results of the ballot mean the move will now become law.

Howard said his decision was not an easy one to reach. "I decided to vote against this legislation for the reason that in the end you have to take a stand for some absolutes in our society, and I think what we're talking about here is a moral absolute, and that is why I cannot support the legislation," he said.

"I don't think the science has shifted enough to warrant the parliament changing its view, and for that reason I'm going to vote against the bill."

Just part way through his first week as opposition leader, Rudd said he would also vote against the legislation, even though he had supported a bill four years ago to allow limited research on embryonic stem cells.

An emotional Rudd said that first decision was made with the blessing of his late mother, a Parkinson's disease sufferer. "My mum died two years ago, so she's not here to ask about this one," he said, expressing concern that by overturning the ban parliament was crossing a moral boundary.

Education and Science Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said the legislation offered hope to sufferers of conditions like diabetes and motor neurone disease.

During fierce debate, critics of the private member's bill sought to scuttle the legislation with an amendment that would have sent the legislation back to the Senate, where it passed by just two votes last month.

However, the House of Representatives voted down the amendment, which would have prevented stem cells being extracted from the eggs of aborted late-term female foetuses.

The overwhelming success of the bill paves the way for the implementation of laws enshrining the recommendations of the Lockhart review into stem cell research, which proposed a new process of embryonic cloning be allowed.