Here's a short essay I wrote two years ago for my home page. I decided to make it available on my LiveJournal now - despite showing its age, I think it still holds together fairly well...


"Ever since a few Scottish researchers cloned the first mammal a few years back, cloning has become a regular topic in the news. The latest controversy revolving around stem cell research - some want to clone human cells to generate new stem cells that might - or might not - enable the medical industry to come up with tissues with amazing regenerative qualities that could cure all sorts of ills. Others are leery of creating human embryos that are used only for medical purposes instead of growing into living, breathing human beings. When asked about their stance on the issue, the governments in both the USA and Germany displayed their usual moral forthrightness by saying: "Uhm... ask me later when this issue isn't controversial anymore. Incidentally, would you vote for me? Pretty please?"

But cloning for stem cell research isn't what I want to talk about today. Instead, I want to talk about reproductive cloning - using cloning techniques to produce a living, breathing human being that is, genetically speaking, identical (or nearly so, depending on the technique used) to another human.

You see, I have noticed something odd in the debate around reproductive cloning: Almost every time it is mentioned, it is automatically assumed that it is something that Just Shouldn't Be Done - if reproductive cloning became widespread, it would immediately End Civilization As We Know It. Clones would be either abominable monsters or pitiable creatures that should never have been made. In short, the only people who would clone someone would be classical Mad Scientists, the only people who would want to clone someone would be lacking any moral values.

But I have to wonder: Why? Why would allowing people to clone themselves or others (if they had the permission to use the genes, of course) be such a bad thing?

I like to make clear that I consider any attempt at cloning humans at this point to be premature. Cloning is far from a mature technology, and we need to make sure that it is before trying this on humans - the clone sheep Dolly, for example, might have a higher physiological age than it would have if it had been born normally, and producing human clones that age rapidly isn't a good idea - or very ethical. But one day cloning will be a mature technology, and then we will have to ask ourselves whether or not we should allow humans to be cloned. And I cannot see a good reason to prohibit it.

Clones are not monsters. At best, they are identical twins that are younger than their "originals". They are humans, just like you or me. Comparisons to movies like The Phantom Menace or Blade Runner , like those some of the more hysterical opponents of reproductive cloning are making, are not viable arguments - if you want either super-soldiers or slaves, then there are far cheaper methods than to clone someone.

Questioning the moral uprightness of those who want a cloned child doesn't help, either. Do you really want to deny people who are infertile the only way in which they could produce offspring? And others, who only want a cloned child out of some narcissistic impulse to have a "younger self" will soon find themselves disappointed when their offspring isn't anything like themselves - the clones will grow up with their own personalities. Once this is realized, cloning will be seen as just another way of having offspring - just as in-vitro fertilization, which also was extremely controversial not so long ago. And let us remember that all these clones will presumably be wanted by their parents, which is more than can be said for many other children born today.

Some commentators suggest that human clones should not be created because they will be discriminated against. Discrimination of clones is, of course, a very real possibility. But then again, should members of ethnic minorities not have children because they might be discriminated against? I don't think so...

Others warn of a loss of variation in the human gene pool - if everyone only cloned themselves, genes would not mix and propagate beyond a few "clone lines". But this only becomes a danger if cloning gets so popular that other methods of reproduction fall out of favor with humanity at large - and unless someone manages to remove all sex drive from humans, this is unlikely to happen.

Personally, I predict that reproductive cloning will be legalized in many First World nations at some time in the next few decades. In another generation or so, people will look back in time and wonder what all the fuss was about - and instead will concentrate on the great debate of their time: Whether to allow massive genetic alterations of humans.

But that's a topic for a future essay..."




Incidentally, innocentjester made me this new icon, which I like a lot. I'll still stick to my normal icon most of the time (and yes, I really look like that... when someone forces me into a suit and tie, that is) - I'll keep the "Dark Lord" icon for special occasions, such as when I'm playing Devil's Advocate (like in this essay).