Bioethics
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Ethics
There are many ethical issues involved with cloning. Religion is one of the main issues, as many religions believe that life begins at conception. Due to the fact that cloning has such a high failure rate, it is believed that many lives are lost. Cloning is also often viewed to be a form of playing God. Christianity opposes cloning, while other religions, like Islam and Judaism enforce restrictions. Only one religion, Raëlism, openly supports cloning because it is believed that it will bring humanity closer to immortality. Animal rights are possible the most complex ethical issue. Animals continue to sufferer through cloning research. Surrogate mothers face miscarriage and difficult pregnancies and the cloned offspring face an often bleak outcome. Is it right to clone animals? That is the question the world has to decide. [11.3, 11.1]
Legal
There is a growing controversy over the funding of cloning research and experiments. At this point, many Americans are not against cloning as a whole-they do not want their tax dollars going to fund a cause that they believe is ethically wrong. If cloning was to be funded by the government who would be responsible- federal or state? Or a combination of both? Currently, Arizona, Maryland, and Missouri have prohibited conducting cloning research with state funds. Will cloning become a federal or state responsibility? What our influence on other countries? Experiments involving human cloning are currently ban in China, Russia, Canada, and most of Europe. Will cloning eventually create major conflicts between other countries? [11.1, 11.2]
[11.4]-Different states have placed different regulations on cloning and coning funding.
Social
[11.5]-A group of protesters ask the government to think about the moral side of cloning.
Cloning has certainly been portrayed in a negative light throughout Hollywood. Movies like Sixth Day and Godsend have brought the idea of cloning to the big screen. But these movies bring about interesting social issues. With all of the advancements in animal cloning it is almost certain that a human clone is not far behind. But before scientists clone a human, there are many issues that need to be addressed first [11.1] :
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Human cloning will change society dramatically, but what about life for the clones? How will they fit into society? Will they be discriminated against? Will there be an identity crisis? If the clones share the exact same DNA, how are police going to find out who is responsible for the crime?
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Who will be responsible for the clone? Who are the parents?
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Will cloning humans have an negative impact on existing humans?
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Can a person be cloned without his or her consent?