Human reproductive cloning
By Aiste Lazauskaite
Faculdade de Direito da UNL, 2013
Content
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Definition
History
Controversy: pros and cons
Ethical perspective
Religious perspective
Law perspective
Human reproductive cloning in Popular Culture
Conclusions
Definition
Human cloning
Therapeutic cloning
Reproductive cloning
(Theoretical possibility – replacement cloning)
• Human reproductive cloning is an assisted
reproductive technology carried out with the
goal of creating a complete human being.
• Artificial process, does not refer to
monozygotic multiple births
FIGURE 1: Human Reproductive Cloning
History. Animals
• Cloning of animals as a start point
• Early 1950’s - tadpoles were the first animals
cloned in a lab
• 1996 - First successful mammal cloned, sheep
Dolly
History. Humans
• Human cloning prospects – since 1960’s
• The first human cloned embryos – 2001 by
Advanced Cell Technology produced 6-cell
embryos
• In 2002 - first alleged human clone Eve
Controversy
• Line between ethical boundaries and scientific
progress
• Moral dilemma vs. potential benefits of
human cloning.
• General tendency in public- almost universally
opposed. Overwhelming majorities reject it in
opinion surveys.
Arguments FOR Reproductive Cloning:
• Help for infertile couples to have genetically
related child
• Allow homosexuals to have children without
using donor’s sperm or egg
• Allow parents of a child who has died to seek
redress for their loss
• Benefit for endangered species
Arguments Against Reproductive
Cloning:
• Reproductive cloning involves threat to safety
of both mother and child
• Diminish the sense of uniqueness of an
individuality
• Division among people
• People might be cloned unwillingly
• Threat that other dangerous applications of
genetic engineering technology will become
allowed
Further implications on socio-ethical
nature
• Transformations on family structure and
relation
• New type of human being
• Infringement to self – determination
Religious perspective
• Opposition from religious heads – puts forth
man as creator
• Condemned by Roman Catholic church under
papacy of of Benedict XVI
• Sunni muslims consider cloning as frobiden by
Islam
Law perspective
• 30 countries (inc. France, Germany, Russia)
completely banned human cloning.
• 15 countries (inc. Japan, the United Kingdom,
Israel) have banned human reproductive
cloning, but permit therapeutic cloning.
United States
• No federal laws which ban cloning completely
• March 2010 - a bill (HR 4808) was introduced
with a section banning federal funding for
human cloning
• 13 American states ban reproductive cloning
and 3 states prohibit use of public funds for
such activities.
United Kingdom
• Clear prohibition on reproductive human
cloning (Human Reproductive Cloning Act
2001) but works to keep laws current with and
relevant to technological advances.
United Nations
• March 2005 - non-binding United Nations
Declaration on Human Cloning calling for the
ban of all forms of Human Cloning was
adopted
European Union
• Supports funding embryonic stem cell
research (where permitted) but has banned
the funding of human cloning
• The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union explicitly prohibits
reproductive human cloning
• No legal ban on therapeutic cloning
• The European Convention on Human Rights
and Biomedicine prohibits human cloning in
one of its additional protocols, 29 ratifiers.
Human reproductive cloning in
Popular Culture
• Human clone is rather popular theme in
contemporary science fiction
• Used in fiction as a way of recreating historical
figures, replacement of deceased lovers, as a
supply of organs for transplantation
• Mainly depicted negatively or as a crazy idea
Conclusions
• Issue of human reproductive cloning as a
likely probability
• Understood as both scientific challenge and
moral concern
• Unknowns at this time makes human
reproductive cloning to be considered
potentially dangerous and ethically
irresponsible
Discussion
• Cloning technology in saving person’s life.
Does it go too far?
• Politicians around the world have begun to
ban human cloning experiments. Is it fair for
politicians to decide what scientists can and
cannot do?
• Why would anyone want a cloned baby?
• What Might Be the Consequences of
Uninhibited Human Cloning?