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LAWS OF SCIENCE
Should Congress ban cloning through legislation? February 24, 1998 |
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NewsHour Backgrounders
January 8, 1998
Dr. Richard Seed announced he will go ahead with human cloning experiments.
December 29, 1997
A year-end report on remarkable changes in reproductive technology.
March 5, 1997
First a sheep was cloned, then a monkey, but if President Clinton has his way a human isn't next.
February 24, 1997:
Elizabeth Farnsworth leads a discussion of the science that lead to Dolly, the Scottish sheep cloned from another.
February 24, 1997:
Jim Lehrer discusses the ethics of cloning with a panel of bioethicists.
February 24, 1997:
A NewsHour background report on Dolly and cloning.
Browse the NewsHour's coverage of science
OUTSIDE LINKS:
Roslin Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland report on cloning sheep.
The Genetics and Public Issues Program at The National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR) discusses cloning.
Discussion of Ethics and Social Issues in Gene Research at the Human Genome Project.
University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics
The Online NewsHour asks: Do you view any experiments involving human clones as being morally acceptable?
Sen. Kit Bond responds:
I do not have a problem with plant or animal cloning. I do not have a problem with cloning human cells to fight diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer, as is now being done. Where I think the vast majority of Americans would draw the line, and where our bill does draw the line, is on the question of cloning human embryos. That is simply unacceptable from a moral and ethical standpoint.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein responds:
I am opposed to human cloning. Any experiment involving the cloning of a human being today remains scientifically dangerous, morally unacceptable, and ethically flawed.
Given the lightning speed with which we are able to develop new technologies, we can sometimes get ahead of society's ability to handle these advances. I do not believe that, today, we know enough to permit human cloning, or to make a permanent determination about the use of this technology.
Prof. Alta Charo responds:
I view experiments that involve cloning human embryos to be morally acceptable because I do not accept the view that human embryos are the moral equivalent of human babies. Thus, when balancing the interests of live-born people in the results of embryo research with the interests of embryos in being free of experimentation, I find that the balance favors the interest of those already born.
I am also of the view that, once safety concerns can be addressed, the morality of cloning to make babies will be a matter of fresh debate. While some might view such an action as a violation of the laws of God or nature, I do not necessarily subscribe to those same faith systems. Nor am I convinced that isolated examples of cloning to make babies will lead to detrimental effects on society, though I am nervous at the prospect of a widespread practice, particularly if it is premised on unduly substantial beliefs in biological determinism or if it is accompanied by commercial overtones. On an individual level, however, I believe that the morality of cloning and its effect on the child will be determined by the motivations and subsequent behaviors of those from whom the tissue is taken and those who rear the child.
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