Is therapeutic cloning acceptable?
Nuffield Report.........
"Research into potential therapies is not qualitatively different
from research into diagnostic methods or reproduction. Neither benefits
the embryo upon which research is conducted, but both may be of benefit
to people in the future"
Peter Garret - LIFE Research Director.....
"The Nuffield Council proposals amount to a clone and kill policy.
Once the stem cell has been removed the donor embryo is killed. For
the Nuffield Council to argue that it does not oppose the cannibalising
of human embryos in this way shows how little respect its members
have for both human life and cherished ethical principles. "
Unlike reproductive cloning, therapeutic cloning does not lead to the
creation of a new individual…If therapeutic cloning became a common
practice, large numbers of human embryos would be created (albeit embryos
at a very preliminary stage of development).
Is it justifiable to use human material essentially as a resource
in this fashion?
For some, existing guidelines on experimentation with human embryos,
which place some intrinsic value on early embryos but do not accord
them equivalent rights to adults, are sufficient to cover therapeutic
cloning.
CORE ........
"If one is opposed to 'reproductive' cloning, can one logically
support 'therapeutic' cloning, given that the 'therapeutic' clone
is simply a 'reproductive' clone who has not been allowed to continue
developing? In this case, to be ethically consistent, one would have
to oppose all human cloning."
Is it possible to oppose reproductive cloning whilst agreeing with
therapeutic cloning?
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