The Legal Future of Human Cloning
The Future of Human Cloning in America: A Legal Perspective
On July 6, 1996, a historical bookmark in modern science was placed as scientists successfully cloned Dolly the Sheep. Dolly was the first mammal to ever be cloned, and from her existence grew several very real concerns, most notably the possibility of humans also being cloned in a laboratory. This new possibility brought up the ethical implications of cloning a human being and President Bill Clinton quickly passed an executive memorandum forbidding the use of federal funds for cloning projects and experiments. To this day, cloning is still not a federally funded science and only privately funded organizations such as private universities and private companies can afford to engage in this kind of costly research. However, there is no blanket ban on cloning imposed by the federal government and therefore much of the regulation of cloning is carried out by the states individually. The result is that states will have different rules and regulations on cloning, which will lead to incongruities of interstate policies. The first thing that needs to be understood when discussing human cloning is that there are two fundamental types of human cloning: reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning. Reproductive cloning is the cloning of a whole human being from the cells of another human being. Therapeutic cloning, or “research cloning” is the production of embryo cells that are used in stem cell research. Reproductive cloning, the more obvious extreme of the two, is generally agreed upon by both proponents and opponents of human cloning as too controversial because of the safety and ethical risks involved in producing an entire human being from a laboratory. Therapeutic cloning is where a finer line exists. Using embryo cells for stem cell research in essential in researching new treatments and cures for terminal and potentially fatal diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, but opponents argue that
On July 6, 1996, a historical bookmark in modern science was placed as scientists successfully cloned Dolly the Sheep. Dolly was the first mammal to ever be cloned, and from her existence grew several very real concerns, most notably the possibility of humans also being cloned in a laboratory. This new possibility brought up the ethical implications of cloning a human being and President Bill Clinton quickly passed an executive memorandum forbidding the use of federal funds for cloning projects and experiments. To this day, cloning is still not a federally funded science and only privately funded organizations such as private universities and private companies can afford to engage in this kind of costly research. However, there is no blanket ban on cloning imposed by the federal government and therefore much of the regulation of cloning is carried out by the states individually. The result is that states will have different rules and regulations on cloning, which will lead to incongruities of interstate policies. The first thing that needs to be understood when discussing human cloning is that there are two fundamental types of human cloning: reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning. Reproductive cloning is the cloning of a whole human being from the cells of another human being. Therapeutic cloning, or “research cloning” is the production of embryo cells that are used in stem cell research. Reproductive cloning, the more obvious extreme of the two, is generally agreed upon by both proponents and opponents of human cloning as too controversial because of the safety and ethical risks involved in producing an entire human being from a laboratory. Therapeutic cloning is where a finer line exists. Using embryo cells for stem cell research in essential in researching new treatments and cures for terminal and potentially fatal diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, but opponents argue that
Cited: Page "Cloning Laws and Public Policy." Cloning Laws and Public Policy. Web. Efforts to Ban Human Cloning The American Journal of International Law , Vol. 99, No. 1 (Jan., 2005), p. 266 Research Cloning, Ethics, and Public Policy LeRoy Walters Science , New Series, Vol. 299, No. 5613 (Mar. 14, 2003), p. 1661 Human Cloning Laws." Human Cloning Laws. N.p., n.d. Web. Andrews, Lori B. Cloning Human Beings: The Current and Future Legal Status of Cloning. Georgetown.edu. Georgetown University, n.d. Web.