Thursday, February 28, 2002
I'm sure most things in the Clone Debates Clone Debates have been covered, but I had a few legal questions that I'm not sure of the answer.
1. Do I have the right to clone myself? I would think so, since it's your body.,
2. Couldn't this lead to exploitation of Third World people, paying them five dollars for their genetics? Probably.
3. Could China decide that no one except the party bosses can have sex any more, and that the best people in China will all be cloned to form the perfect military, academia, and artistic world? Yes. They might do it, too. Or they could just clone their best trinket makers so they can take over the world.
4. If I clone myself, would I have to get permission from my clone in order to sell my genetics again? I haven't a clue.
5. Wouldn't this play hell with DNA matching of criminals? Um...probably.
6. Is there room for corruption, with people making clones pre-addicted to substances? It'll probably happen.
7. Might people be cloned without knowing it? Sure.
8. Could they sue? That depends. We'd have to tag all clones with their maker's identity. That sounds suspiciously like a Dr. Seuss plotline to me.
9. Who would raise these clones? Adoptive parents might in some cases, but there will probably be cases of abandonment.
10. Might these clones be deprived of rights and used for testing? Yes, but that's possible with anyone.
I'm personally not sure exactly where I stand on cloning. I don't think that its an abomination before God, and I can see legitimate uses for it. However, it would have to be very tightly regulated, with some safeguards outside the realm of politics built in. On the other hand, I wouldn't protest a ban on cloning humans, either.
1. Do I have the right to clone myself? I would think so, since it's your body.,
2. Couldn't this lead to exploitation of Third World people, paying them five dollars for their genetics? Probably.
3. Could China decide that no one except the party bosses can have sex any more, and that the best people in China will all be cloned to form the perfect military, academia, and artistic world? Yes. They might do it, too. Or they could just clone their best trinket makers so they can take over the world.
4. If I clone myself, would I have to get permission from my clone in order to sell my genetics again? I haven't a clue.
5. Wouldn't this play hell with DNA matching of criminals? Um...probably.
6. Is there room for corruption, with people making clones pre-addicted to substances? It'll probably happen.
7. Might people be cloned without knowing it? Sure.
8. Could they sue? That depends. We'd have to tag all clones with their maker's identity. That sounds suspiciously like a Dr. Seuss plotline to me.
9. Who would raise these clones? Adoptive parents might in some cases, but there will probably be cases of abandonment.
10. Might these clones be deprived of rights and used for testing? Yes, but that's possible with anyone.
I'm personally not sure exactly where I stand on cloning. I don't think that its an abomination before God, and I can see legitimate uses for it. However, it would have to be very tightly regulated, with some safeguards outside the realm of politics built in. On the other hand, I wouldn't protest a ban on cloning humans, either.
