The End of the Cloning Debate? Hardly.

Has a scientific breakthrough ended the cloning debate?

Not in the stem cell center of the country.

But conservative FOX Columnist Father Jonathan Morris seems to think so -- citing recent comments by the "Dolly the Sheep" scientist disavowing the "nuclear transfer" technique.

In his recent column, Morris highlights Sen. Claire McCaskill's recent comments on the issue and then seems to challenge the junior Senator to re-ignite the debate by urging her to "make illegal the cloning of human embryos" in Missouri.

"For example, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) talked specifically about therapeutic cloning on FOX News Sunday. After first denying that she was in favor of any type of cloning, she went on to explain why she was in favor of SCNT (therapeutic cloning)," Morris writes.

"It will be interesting to see if Sen. McCaskill will now initiate a referendum to the previous referendum, making illegal the cloning of human embryos — a process scientists like Dr. Wilmut are now calling inefficient and obsolete (not to mention the ethical considerations of creating a human embryo with the intention of destroying it)," he adds.

UPDATE . . . *** 10:52 p.m . . . Missouri Right to Life comments . . .

"Missouri Right to Life hopes that those pursuing and promoting human cloning will acknowledge this promising breakthrough and place their energies and resources into ethical research instead of SCNT cloning," said MRTL president Pam Fitcher.

"These reprogrammed cells (iPS) act like embryonic stem cells without cloning and destroying human embryos. While iPS cells are not yet ready for human application, they follow adult stem cell research as a promising arena for developing ethical cures and treatments," reads a release from Right to Life's Dave Plemmons.

"These iPS cells make it increasingly clear that treating human embryos as a commodity to be destroyed in the name of unfettered research is not only morally offensive but also unnecessary."