Italian and American fertility experts announced last week details of their plans to clone a human being on an unidentified Mediterranean Island.

In a meeting in Rome, the scientists disclosed their plan to attempt human and therapeutic cloning to help tackle a range of degenerative diseases by a process that produces a "delayed" genetic twin. The scientists said in a press release from the Andrology Institute of America that their motivation stems from the desire to help infertile couples have children.

In the experiment, the scientists will take cells from an infertile father and inject them into an egg, which is then implanted in a mother's uterus for pregnancy. The procedure allows infertile parents to have a child with similar characteristics to themselves and not have to rely on a sperm donor to conceive.

Dr. James Strauss, a professor in the biology department who teaches a course in medical embryology, said the process unlocks genes that are inhibited by the cell and is similar to current fertilization techniques such as invitro fertilization, which he called a "tried and true process."

Strauss said this process of cloning has been successful in a variety of mammals. In 1997, Dr. Ian Wilmut created the first cloned sheep named Dolly.

"Clones are not unusual if you think about it," Strauss said. "Identical twins in theory are cloned."

Strauss said such a process has its problems but will probably be more numerically efficient in the future. He said there is a less than 2 percent chance of a successful nuclear transfer and only one or two embryos out of 100 are successfully planted in a mother's uterus.

The scientists have met opposition from several religious and ethical organizations including the Vatican. Some students share concern about the process.

Kevin Sliman (senior-journalism) said the scientists' attempts raise disturbing ethical issues.

"It's unethical because you're tampering with nature, taking all the risk out of childbirth," Sliman said. "It's like a catalog, you chose what you want and don't want."

Jared Gorlick (junior-journalism) does not agree with the scientists, but said he would approve of the cloning of certain body parts such as hearts and lungs.

"To clone individual parts like a heart or lung to help people survive physically is different," Gorlick said. "You're helping to save a life, not bringing someone else in."

Strauss said he is unsure if the scientists' appeal to help infertile parents is just a smoke screen. He said some scientists are simply fame seekers, but an attempt to clone humans was inevitable.

"When the test tube babies were first introduced there many were scared and there were a lot of wrinkled eyebrows," he said. "Now it's a mainstream technique. The general public will decide whether or not cloning will become a regular practice."

The team is led by Severino Antinori, who performed a controversial procedure eight years ago when he helped a 62-year-old woman have a baby by implanting an egg in her womb. Antinori plans to continue with the experiment despite the risk of losing his medical practice.

Antinori said in the release that cloning does not produce copycat children because nature and environment help to shape a child's characteristics.

The team has received funding from unknown sources and plans to begin cloning in October. The scientists said more than 600 people have contacted them to be part of the experiment and to be the parents of the first cloned child.

In 1997, former President Bill Clinton instituted a ban on federal funding related to attempts to clone human beings. Other international groups, including one in Canada, are also attempting a similar experiment.