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'An aphorism, properly stamped and molded, has not been "deciphered" when it has simply been read; rather one has then to begin its interpretation, for which is required an art of interpretation.' -- Nietzsche, 'On the Genealogy of Morals'

human cloning « Previous | |Next »
August 18, 2006

I see that in July 2002 the President's Council on Bioethics under President Bush chose to engage with the ethics of, and public policy related to, human cloning as its first topics of inquiry. Human cloning, has been, and is due to be currently debated in the Australian Parliament as a conscience vote. We could do with a National Council on Bioethics in Australia to help us to come to grrips with the issue of cloning for biomedical research, where the public policy option on the table is one of legislative prohibition. It would give rise to more debate on contentious issues such as therapeutic cloning.

The report issued by the President's Council on Bioethic is entitled Human Cloning and Human Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry. The Report says that:

The intense attention given to human cloning in both its potential uses, for reproduction as well as for research, strongly suggests that people do not regard it as just another new technology. Instead, we see it as something quite different, something that touches fundamental aspects of our humanity. The notion of cloning raises issues about identity and individuality, the meaning of having children, the difference between procreation and manufacture, and the relationship between the generations. It also raises new questions about the manipulation of some human beings for the benefit of others, the freedom and value of biomedical inquiry, our obligation to heal the sick (and its limits), and the respect and protection owed to nascent human life. Finally, the legislative debates over human cloning raise large questions about the relationship between science and society, especially about whether society can or should exercise ethical and prudential control over biomedical technology and the conduct of biomedical research.

The Council produced policy recommendations on two issues. All 17 members of the council who cast votes recommended an outright congressional ban on reproductive cloning or, in the report's preferred language, "cloning-to-produce-children." Concerning therapeutic cloning--or in the report's preferred language, "cloning-for-biomedical-research,"---a majority of 10 members of the council recommended a four-year national moratorium to allow for further study of the moral, political, and scientific issues. A seven-member minority recommended that cloning-for-biomedical-research be allowed to proceed promptly, subject to strict federal regulation.

Research on the latter is problematic. On the one hand, it could lead to important knowledge about human embryological development and gene action, both normal and abnormal, ultimately resulting in treatments and cures for many dreaded illnesses and disabilities. On the other hand, the research is morally controversial because it involves the deliberate production, use, and ultimate destruction of cloned human embryos, and because the cloned embryos produced for research are no different from those that could be implanted in attempts to produce cloned children.

| Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at 11:12 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)
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» therapeutic cloning from Public Opinion
It was only after strong public lobbying by the Liberal backbencher Mal Washer that John Howard agreed to allow a conscience vote on therapeutic cloning, thereby reversing a cabinet decision made in June.The former health minister and now backbencher S... [Read More]

 
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