E-Paper
Cloning: An ethical dilemma
Will a cloned child be acceptable to any society where heredity and racial prejudices still influence ethical standards? Will a clone ever be entitled to rights that an individual enjoys in any civil society? These and many more similar issues will be debated hotly in coming years, even as the birth of the first cloned baby makes history. The tussle between the conservatives and those who support cloning continues.
Will a cloned child be acceptable in any society where heredity and racial prejudices still influence ethical standards? Will a clone ever be entitled to rights that an individual enjoys in any civil society? These and many more similar issues will, in coming years, be debated hotly even as the birth of the first cloned baby makes history.
Those opposing it say the physical and psychological welfare of the cloned child cannot be guaranteed and the child may suffer from a loss of identity and freedom.
However, there are many who also feel that the sense of being a copy will give the child an advantage of knowing early in life where his weakness and strengths lie.
The clone may also have to compete for the affection of its surrogate parents. Parents may love him for how well he meets their expectations, based on the characteristics of the gene donor.
Cloning may also lead to the child being seen as an object, much like a piece of furniture in a house.
The supporters, however, say the child can be loved unconditionally just like a normal child is loved. They also say that proper legislations can ensure that the cloned child gets a normal environment to grow and develop.
Conservatives point out that national resources will be better spent on projects which hold a promise for the majority. They see cloning as an experiment that will benefit only the infertile and the childless.
Dr Zavos, however, disagrees. He says, “Cloning can help a man who cannot produce sperms to have a child.” It can also cure many deadly diseases by altering the genes or by implanting healthy genes into the diseased person.
Also, director of Reliance life sciences Dr Firuza Parikh adds that ethical appropriateness is a state of the mind. “There are many discoveries and therapies that were earlier unacceptable but have found favour today. IVF, which was not acceptable a few years ago, is a household word today.”
Are we ready to accept a clone as one of us?
