Anglican churches across NSW will be asked to campaign against new cloning laws proposed by the State Government.

Premier Morris Iemma plans to introduce a bill overturning a five year ban on the cloning of human embryos for scientific research in NSW.

"If this legislation does not pass NSW researchers will have to put down their microscopes and move to other states where similar legislation has been passed," the Premier says.

The office of Archbishop Peter Jensen, head of the Anglican Church in NSW, announced today that a motion will be put to the Provincial Synod this weekend opposing the Premier's plan.

The Synod is the key decision making body for NSW's six Anglican Dioceses.

Mr Iemma's bill would allow scientists to obtain stem cells from embryos through a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer. In this process a cloned embryo is created by merging an unfertilised egg with an adult skin cell.

Effectively Mr Iemma's legislation mirrors the new Commonwealth laws that could not otherwise be enacted in this State.

"There has been no change in the Archbishop's position," Dr Philip Selden, assistant to Dr Jensen, told Your.sydneyanglicans.net.

During a previous debate of this issue Archbishop Jensen argued that "life is a continuum, deserving of respect from its start at fertilisation to its end at death.'

"Human beings deserve our protection and respect wherever they are on this continuum… Human embryos should not be created and used as instruments of research."

The Premier also announced this week that he will allow MPs a conscience vote acknowledging the strongly held religious beliefs about the matter.

Margaret Rodgers, spokesperson for Archbishop Jensen, says the Diocese's Social Issues Executive has been asked to prepare resources to help parishes fight against the cloning of human embryos by lobbying their local MPs.