People have very different views of what is natural. Despite years of intense academic and public debate, there is little clarity as to the philosophical foundations for many of the emerging policy choices. England has allowed cloning human embryos for therapeutic use only. The author critiques one of the most commonly used ethical justifications for cloning laws the idea that reproductive cloning necessarily.
Perspectives on human cloning are theoretical, as human. Primer on ethics and human cloning glenn mcgee an original article article highlights before cloning is considered permissible medicine for human infertility, society needs to resolve many questions, including. Though genetically identical, cloned humans are technically due the same rights of any human. These suggestions seemingly have never been taken seriously. Here is a discussion about the ethical issues that have arisen concerned with cloning humans. Cloning can also be abused by some unscrupulous persons to produce clones without the permission of. Pdf on sep 22, 2015, marin gillis and others published the ethics of human cloning find, read and cite all the research you need on. The reasons for the strength of this opposition are profound and serious. In japan, human cloning is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Human cloning requires us to think about the nature of a human embryo, the moral status of the human embryo, what is required by respect for human embryos, and whether the distinction between spare embryos that is, those left over from in vitro fertilization or ivf and embryos deliberately created for research purposes has moral significance. During the last few months, various commentators scientists and theologians, physicians and legal experts, talkradio hosts and edi.
Ethics and cloning british medical bulletin oxford. Certain countries abroad have stricter standards, and more than 50 have legally banned research efforts on reproductive human cloning source. Although genes are known to have largely influenced behavior and cognition, the term genetically identical does not necessarily mean exactly the same. This essay is based on a public lecture delivered at an international conference on cloning organized. Ethical aspects within human cloning sciencedirect. Will failures, such as deformed offspring, be acceptable. Ethical issues in animal cloning 328 abstract the issue of human reproductive cloning has recently received a great deal attention in public discourse. Chapter 6 the ethics of cloning for reproductive purposes. This conclusion can be accepted by people who hold very different views about the moral status of the embryo. International compilation of human research standards.
The main use of research cloning is to create human embryonic stem cells hesc. The possibility that human beings will be cloned elicits widespread opprobrium from a wide spectrum of the population, christians included, so much so that calls for its banning are frequently heard. Human cloning has occasionally been suggested as a way to improve the genetic endowment of mankind, by cloning individuals of great achievement, for example, in sports, music, the arts, science, literature, politics, and the like, or of acknowledged virtue. While many of these views are religious in origin, some of the questions raised by cloning are faced by secular perspectives as well. The basis for this justification is that reproductive human cloning. According to ioms, ordinary human cloning, in which the nucleus of a living somatic cell from an individual is placed ai ethicshuman cloning int 7904 3. Human embryo cloning just tweaks apart a zygote at the two cell stage, changing a single twocell form of life into two onecell forms of life. In bioethics, the ethics of cloning refers to a variety of ethical positions regarding the practice and possibilities of cloning, especially human cloning. It is a form of cloning which is designed to result in a copy of a human being or a human body part. Glenn mcgee is associate director for education at the cen ter for bioethics at the university of pennsylvania school of medicine s center for bioethics, as well as assistant profes sor of bioethics in the departments of. The legal and ethical issues of cloning that make it.
Recent events in britain and the united states have shown that human cloning, as well as cloning animals, raises important ethical questions. Pdf the ethics of cloning julian savulescu academia. Embryo cloning still depends on a human egg from a woman and sperm from a man. The paper examines some of the major public and official responses to cloning by authorities such as president. The ethics of human reproductive cloning carson strong is professor in the department of human values and ethics, university of tennessee college of medicine. She distinguished three different forms of this argument and showed that for each, pursuing stem cell research will not inevitably lead to human reproductive cloning. In 2005, the united nations adopted a declaration on human cloning, which calls for a universal ban on human cloning. The ethics of human cloning today biological science is rising on a wall of worry. It seems clear to all of us, however, given the current stage of science in this area, that any attempt to clone human beings via somatic cell nuclear transfer techniques is uncertain in its. Even before wilmuts announcement, human cloning had been made illegal in nearly all countries in europe and had been condemned by the council of europe council of europe 1986. Since the artificial cloning of dolly the sheep, scientists have launched the question whether in a not so distant future a human being will also be created artificially.
A dialogue on state regulation was convened october 12, 2001, by the markkula center for applied ethics at santa clara university. Human cloning requires us to think about the nature of a human embryo, the moral status of the human embryo, what is required by respect for human embryos, and whether the distinction between spare embryos that is, those left over from in vitro. Cloning is a dominant topic under the broader category of biotechnology. Bioethicists,policy makers,and the media have been quick to identify the key ethical issues involved in human reproductive cloning.
Scientists have cloned animals since the late 19th century, but the crucial step for ethics was the cloning of the first mammal by somatic cell nuclear transfer in 1997. Pdf ethical aspects within human cloning researchgate. The ethical implications of human clones have been much alluded to, but have seldom been examined with any rigour. The human potential for evil is real and cannot be left out of considerations about the ethics of cloning. To start, a clone is an exact replica of an organism, cell, or gene. Indeed, it is the bioethicists, not the scientists, who are now the most articulate defenders of human cloning. When the world learned in 1997 of dolly the sheep, the first clone produced from an adult mammal, a broad public discussion about the ethics of human cloning ensued, largely focused on the nature, meaning, and future of human procreation. He obtained his undergraduate degree at the massachusetts institute of technology in boston, and he holds a doctorate in philosophy from the university of pennsylvania. Ever since the advent of cloning, there have been arguments for and against this process. However, a genetically engineered individual is not necessarily exactly the same as his predecessor, therefore human cloning for sports appears to be illogical ww. Miller, managing editor william dudley, book editor ethics of human cloning. Philosophy professor barbara mackinnon university of san francisco, editor of human cloning. This paper examines the possible uses and abuses of human cloning and draws out the principal ethical dimensions, both of what might be done and its.
The notion of human dignity is commonly used to justify cloning laws. This suggested that scientists could also clone, and possibly enhance, human beings. The international compilation of human research standards enumerates over 1,000 laws, regulations, and guidelines collectively referred to as standards that govern human subject protections in 1 countries, as well as standards from a number of international and regional organizations. The ethics of human cloning has become a great issue over the past few years. Bender, publisher bruno leone, executive editor bonnie szumski, editorial director stuart b. Many countries disallow reproductive cloning because of these questions, but some do allow research. No other science has advanced more dramatically during the past several decades or yielded so many palpable improvements in human welfare. Japans cabinet council for science and technology policy voted on july 23, 2004 to adopt. The ethical implications of human cloning harvard university. Would it be too naive to suggest that scientists and theologians and bioethicists start working together to develop ethical guidelines for cloning rather than just banning the whole idea. Human cloning is a different means of reproduction than sexual reproduction, but it is a means that can serve individuals interest in reproducing. The ethics of human cloning and stem cell research.
This paper examines the possible uses and abuses of human cloning and draws out. The process itself is done asexually with the use of a cell from the original human. The advocates for both sides of the issue have many reasons to clone or not to clone. I turn first to the ethics of reproductive cloning, and then to cloning for biomed ical research.
A comparative study of western secular and islamic bioethics perspectives. San diego, california the ethics of human cloning david l. A recent poll has shown the differences in opinions with half as many women as men approving of the process. In some countries, including france and singapore, reproductive cloning of humans is a criminal offence. The advantages and disadvantages of human cloning raise moral, ethical, scientific and safety questions. The french parliament on july 9, 2004 adopted a new bioethics law that allows embryonic stem cell research but considers human cloning a crime against the human species. Many countries or jurisdictions have legally banned human cloning or are in the process of doing so. Primer on ethics and human cloning kyrene school district. This generally refers to making an exact copy of a dna strand, but it can also be used to clone that is, duplicate an entire organism. Human cloning laws, human dignity and the poverty of the policy. The ethics of human cloning in order to make a fully justified decision on whether human cloning is ethical or not, one must be exposed to the background of the subject. The ethical implications of human cloning department of government,harvard university,1875 cambridge street,cambridge,ma,028. Human cloning in the form of identical twins is the closest comparison that we have to this scientific concept at this time.
The threat of human cloning begins by laying out the scientific and policy background of the cloning debates. A fundamental argument is that cloning is ethically wrong and various religious groups have rejected it saying that cloning is equivalent to playing god. The ethics of human cloning the successful cloning of an adult sheep, announced in scotland this past february, is one of the most dramatic recent examples of a scientific discovery becoming a public issue. Its purpose was to bring together experts from the fields of science, religion, ethics, and law to discuss how the state of california should proceed in regulating human cloning and stem cell.
Reproductive cloning experiments would be punishable by up to 20 y in prison. Artificial cloning processes have yet to be developed, and they may never be brought to light because of the numerous ethical and moral concerns involved with the technology that would allow a genetically identical copy of an existing or previously existing individual. Ethical issues in animal cloning university of pennsylvania. Investigations with such cells aim at understanding diseases and developing new treatments. A few more cautious voices were heard, both suggesting some possible benefits from the. The regulation of human cloning continues to be a significant national and international policy issue.
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