In 1997, Dr. Ian Wilmut and Dr. Keith Campbell, Scottish biologists, announced the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep from an adult ewe’s DNA. Reports of successful cloning of other mammals, such as cattle and cats soon followed. It wasn’t long before a few scientists began vowing to use the technique on human beings, triggering a heated debate among scientists, religious leaders, ethicists, politicians, and the general population about the short and long-term ramifications of human cloning. This chapter explores some of the arguments made for and against the prospect of human cloning. As you proceed through the chapter, consider the following issues facing the human cloning debate.

• Are we our genes, or our experiences? What makes a person unique? Is it necessary to be an individual to be unique?
• How do you think a cloned person would fit into our society today? Would he or she be the object of curiosity? A celebrity? A freak? Would he or she ever be able to lead a normal life?
• Whose rights are the most important—the rights of the DNA donor, or the rights of the cloned person?
• Is biotechnology eroding our definition of what it means to be human? Could the way we view ourselves, and our sense of identity, change because of this new technology?
• Would you opt to clone a loved one if you knew that it could be successfully done? If so, who would you clone? If not, why?
• Is cloning simply another reproductive option? Should it be?
• What happens if we clone people and several generations later, we discover we have made a horrible mistake? How do we control the ramifications if cloning goes array?

Copyright © 1995-2010, Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Longman Legal and Privacy Terms