Second clone in Netherlands

The head of Clonaid, Dr Brigitte Boisselier has claimed that a second human clone will be born this weekend in Netherlands. "The child that will be born is a girl, from a lesbian couple," Dr Boisselier said.

Dr Brigitte Boisselier, the scientist who announced what she alleged to be the birth of the first human clone last week, claimed on Friday that a second one will be born this weekend.

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Brigitte Boisselier is the head of Clonaid which claims to have produced the clone. She told the Belgian VTM-Nieuws broadcast that "the child that will be born is a girl, from a lesbian couple."

Boisselier's Clonaid is linked to a religious sect, called the Raelians, that believes space aliens created life on Earth. An official at the Belgian branch of the Raelians claimed later on Friday that the second child would be born in the Netherlands.

Boisselier said the parents wanted to remain anonymous.

Clonaid has refused to offer any proof to confirm its claims, but the company had promised DNA test results to confirm their claim by around the end of this week.

Last week, Boisselier said test results should be ready in eight or nine days proving the baby is a clone of a 31-year-old American woman, who is also the mother.

Miami attorney Bernard F. Siegel asked a court in Florida this week to turn the baby over to state care if it found the baby's health was in danger.

"The parents are concerned," Boisselier said. She said "the baby will be brought up fully knowing it is a clone of its mother."

Dr Brigitte said she did not expect legal problems for the company in the United States. US authorities had visited her first laboratory and talked with her. "I committed myself to undertake no activity on US soil and I don't think there is a major problem," she told VTM.

Boisselier did not elaborate on the DNA test in the interview. She had previously said that three additional couples were expected to give birth to Clonaid-created clones by early February.