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Human Cloning: Clones
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For a number of decades, the prospect that new members of the human family might be produced by cloning was considered farfetched. Recent advances in genetic and reproductive biology... indicate that techniques for cloning humans may soon be developed. With this prospect comes the Christian responsibility to address profound ethical issues associated with human cloning. As Christians, with firm belief in God's creative and redemptive power, Seventh-day Adventists accept the responsibility to enunciate ethical principles that emerge from their faith commitments.
[O]n the highly controversial issue of human cloning, UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor said in Paris, Friday that, "Human cloning cannot be accepted under any circumstances." Mayor stressed that the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, adopted on November 11, 1997, by UNESCO's 186 Member States, bans the practice as an offence against human dignity.
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There is ... a second way that human cloning would conflict with the autonomy of the people most intimately involved in the practice, that is, the clones themselves. Human cloning would radically weaken the family structure and relationships of the clone and therefore be fundamentally at odds with their most basic interests. Consider the confusion that arises over even the most basic relationships involved. Are the children who result from cloning really the siblings or the children of their "parents"--really the children or the grandchildren of their "grandparents"? Genetics suggests one answer and age the other. Regardless of any future legal resolutions of such matters, child clones (not to mention others inside and outside the family) will almost certainly experience confusion.
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Proponents of human reproductive cloning argue that it would enlarge the current spectrum of assisted reproductive techniques. In particular, men who do not produce gametes could have children who inherit their genome. In such a case, if the egg came from the wife, the couple would not have to involve a third “parent” (the sperm donor) in producing their child. Women who do not produce eggs could ... have children carrying their genetic information (although they would need a donor egg) and the child would not receive a genetic contribution from the male partner. (In the case of lesbian couples, one might provide the egg, with its mitochondrial DNA, and the other the nuclear DNA). Other reasons offered for using SCNT to create children include: to produce a child with certain genetic features (who could, for example, serve as a bone marrow donor for a diseased sibling); to “replicate” a deceased child or other loved one; to fulfill the desire for a child based on an admired “prototype”; or to achieve “immortality” by living on through one’s clone.
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There are a number of reasons why individuals may wish to undertake human cloning. Some have claimed that cloning is a viable treatment for infertility (ie. to create a child; this is called "reproductive cloning"), while others believe that cloning can be used to treat degenerative diseases (ie. "therapeutic cloning"). Many... feel that cloning is morally unacceptable as it is an affront to human dignity. In addition, any potential benefits of this technology need to be balanced against health and safety concerns as well as rates of success.
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"By including articles that cover a wide range of analytical perspective and moral positions, this volume provides a good overview of the debate on human cloning. George Annas argues that human cloning should be banned because it "radically alters the very definition of what it is to be be human" Michael Tooley finds it morally acceptable, and points out its potential benefits to society. Jan Hellerargues that the common religious objections against human cloning lack substantive moral support. The other three contributors aim primarily to situate the discussion within a larger historical framework." - Quarterly Review of Biology
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