Reasons
for Concern about Research Cloning
Rebuttals
to Reasons for Concern about Research Cloning
Reasons
to Support Research Cloning
Rebuttals
to Reasons to Support Research Cloning
Reasons for Concern about Research Cloning
1. Perfection of techniques to create clonal human embryos would make it more difficult to prevent the births of human clones. If clonal embryos free of reprogramming errors can be created, establishing pregnancies is likely to be a trivial procedure. Without a system of strict public oversight and control, some of the clonal embryos created in laboratories are likely to wind up being used for reproductive purposes.
2. Perfection of cloning techniques would open the door to even more powerful technologies of human genetic modification. Proposals for commercially practicable inheritable genetic modification ("designer babies") call for the use of cloning techniques to create embryos using stem cell nuclei that have been previously genetically modified. For more see [ Technologies >> Inheritable Genetic Modification >> Basic Science ].
3. Cloning requires the use of women's eggs. Large scale research cloning could generate a market for women's eggs that could easily lead to exploitation. Proposed therapeutic uses of cloning techniques would entail many millions of women's eggs a year, a quantity that seems prohibitively large.
Rebuttals to Reasons for Concern about Research Cloning
1. We can pass strong laws making reproductive cloning illegal without banning research cloning. Technical information about the production of cloned human embryos could not and should not be suppressed.
2. If society wishes to ban inheritable genetic modification it can and should do so.
3. As long women give informed consent and are fairly compensated, markets in human eggs should not be seen as a bad thing.
Reasons to Support Research Cloning
1. Cloned embryos are said to be needed for research on embryonic stem cells that promise to revolutionize medicine. Scientists believe that embryonic stem cell research will lead to cures for many diseases and will provide tissues and organs for transplant and treatment of degenerative conditions.
2. Research cloning will be necessary in order to produce compatible tissues and organs for patients being treated with stem cell therapies. In order to overcome the immune rejection problems associated with organ and tissue transplants, stem cells would have to be obtained from embryos produced from a patient's own cells, by means of research cloning.
3. Restrictions on research cloning could postpone therapies beneficial to millions of people. We cannot allow delays in the development of techniques that could save lives or prevent suffering.
4. Restricting any sort of medical research is unacceptable. In a free society, people have the right to pursue any scientific—and especially medical—investigation. Medical technology has already improved our lives immensely, and we must support continued progress.
Rebuttals to Reasons to Support Research Cloning
1. Clonal embryos are unneeded as a source of embryonic stem cells. As most supporters of research cloning acknowledge, embryos created in IVF clinics can provide adequate numbers and varieties of stem cells for research purposes. Advocating a moratorium on research cloning does not preclude support for continued work to overcome these difficulties.
2. Recent studies suggest that research cloning may not be a necessary or desirable way to overcome immune rejection. Embryonic stem cells appear less likely to stimulate rejection after transplantation than other cell types. If this proves true, therapeutic tissues could be developed from existing embryonic stem cell lines rather than having to produce customized cell lines for a particular patient.
3. Research cloning is likely to be too costly to be used in the course of routine medical procedures. The creation of cloned embryos would always be very labor intensive and expensive. Women's health advocates are concerned about the health and social justice implications of creating a market for human eggs in which most donors are likely to be poor women.
4. In a free society, people have the right to work together democratically to adopt policies that they believe contribute to building a better world.
Research cloning presents a difficult choice for the many people who in general support medical research, including embryo research, but who are concerned about the dangers of human reproductive cloning and eugenic engineering. A moratorium on research cloning would provide the opportunity to put in place prohibitions on reproductive cloning and inheritable genetic modification, without impeding research on the therapeutic uses of embryonic stem cells. It would also allow time for more extensive public debate and for the establishment of regulatory structures to prevent the gross abuse of any research cloning procedures that society might decide to allow.
Peter
Aldhous, "Can They Rebuild Us?" Nature (Vol. 410, April 5,
2001), pages 622-625
Resources
>> Items >> "Can They Rebuild Us?"
Andrew
Pollack, "Use of Cloning to Tailor Treatment Has Big Hurdles,
Including Cost," New York Times (December 18, 2001)
Resources
>> Items >> "Use of Cloning to Tailor Treatment Has Big
Hurdles, Including Cost"
Alexander Morgan Capron, "Placing a Moratorium on Research Cloning
to Ensure Effective Control over Reproductive Cloning" (2002)
Resources
>> Items >> "Placing a Moratorium on Research Cloning to
Ensure Effective Control over Reproductive Cloning"
Alexander Morgan Capron, "Statement before the Subcommittee on
Crime, Committee on the Judiciary, United States House of
Representatives," June 19, 2001
Resources
>> Items >> "Testimony before Congress"
Andrew Kimbrell, "Testimony Regarding Human Cloning before
the Senate Judiciary Committee," February 5, 2002http://www.icta.org/Testimony.pdf
Gina
Kolata, "A Thick Line Between Theory and Therapy, as Shown with
Mice," New York Times (December 18, 2001)
http://college3.nytimes.com/guests/articles/2001/12/18/889759.xml
Stuart
Newman, "Testimony regarding Human Cloning before the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee," March 5, 2002
http://www.gene-watch.org/programs/cloning/senate-testimony-stuart.html
Judy
Norsigian, "Testimony regarding Human Cloning before the Senate
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee," March 5,
2002
http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/clone4.htm
Nicholas Wade, "In Tiny Cells, Glimpses of Body's Master Plan,"
New York Times (December 18, 2001)
http://college4.nytimes.com/guests/articles/2001/12/18/891558.xml
More Information
Analysis:
Examine the social, cultural, and economic landscape
Perspectives:
Explore various communities' concerns regarding human genetic
technologies
Policies:
Read about existing and potential regulations
Date modified: