Re: Is cloning of humans to far for us to go?

Dear Chuck,

This is a question that alot of people around the world would like to know the answer to and I'm afraid that I can't give you a simple answer. I can try and clarify some of the most important issues for you. Whether or not to clone humans is a question that cannot be answered by scientists alone as the application, or use, of cloning technology will have to be regulated using moral and ethical guidelines. There is little doubt in the scientific community that human cloning will be possible in the near future and it is up to governments, scientists, ethicists and the general public to decide how to use this technology.

In my opinion the most important things to keep in mind when discussing human cloning are the individuality and rights of the cloned human being. A human clone is almost the same as an identical twin, and you cannot deny that one identical twin is a different person and separate from her twin. In the same way a clone will be a unique individual with the same rights as the rest of us. An individual develops not just under the influence of her genes but also through the action of the environment on that development. No two environments can be absolutely identical outside of a laboratory. The first question we should ask ourselves before cloning a human being is whether the rights of the clone (and the clone's "parent") are being infringed. Whether you believe a human being's rights begin as a fertilised egg or some time afterwards is a question that must also be addressed but that is an argument for another time.

The second part of your question is slightly easier to answer. I don't think that if human cloning becomes accepted in society and becomes common that a race of identical clones will populate the world. First of all any genetically identical population is at risk from diseases that can sweep through the entire population without meeting resistance, wiping out the clone. This has happened with cloned varieties of animals and plants in agricultural environments. Secondly, no one "superhuman" is the best in every human society and world environment. Different types of people succeed at different things. Society could not function as it does today if everyone were identical.

This is a huge topic and you will find lots of opinions, my advice is to equip yourself with as much unbiased scientific information as you can and then delve into the arguments and make your own decision about whether you think human cloning is going too far. Here are a couple of web-sites with enough information to get you started. Good luck!

This website gives some useful answers to frequently asked questions about human cloning. The New Scientist web-site has a special report on cloning.