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What should we think? How should we feel about cloning people? Would a human clone really be the same person with the same personality? It's debatable, as it hasn't been done, but it seems doubtful. A person's "self" ? his body, mind, and spirit ? is determined by many other factors, not only genes. A biologist posed the question of using such techniques to "bring back" the terminally-ill child to their parents, but Dr. Hugh Ross, of Reasons to Believe noted that, "Whether or not such an option should be offered is a complicated issue, to say the least. But even if this option were allowed, it would not give the parents back their lost child. The parents would (if such cloning were successful) receive a completely different child in a body nearly identical to that of the child they lost. These facts demand careful consideration." (www.leaderu.com)

First, from a Christian perspective, we should look at the field of cloning in two different ways. On one hand, we should examine the subject in detail, taking into account how ethical considerations would change depending on the methods and the "level" of cloning involved. On the other hand, we should also step back and consider the entire picture. There are some Christian beliefs that could address the broad area of cloning in general.

Is it right for a person to create life by themselves? Is it a goal that we should be pursuing? A book by David Rorvik came out in 1978 called In His Image: The Cloning of a Man. The book discussed a man being cloned from skin cells, and the author insists that the book is non-fiction: that, as the book reads, a scientist was approached by a rich man asking the scientist to make a clone of himself and the clone was actually madecthrough methods very similar to those being talked about today. The book was pro-cloning, but the implications for Christians is "Is it right to create people in our own image, while the Bible says that Adam was made in God's image?" What kind of people would they be? Would they be like people without a soul? Without a conscience? Would any life that we could create be something that God could call, "good" ? Generally people seem to agree that clones born through present technology would have souls and personalities unique to themselves, though the idea of the soul as understood by Christians is, of course, still unknown. Environment, age, family play a large part in determining "who we are."

There may be no easy answers to these questions, but they are questions that should not be ignored. We should consider seriously, not only the question of, "Would it be good for the human race?" but also, "Would it be something that would please and glorify our Creator?"

In the end, present cloning cannot really "create" life; science shapes and directs life that already exists. We need not fear that science will take the actual power of creation away from the Creator. Only God can call something into being out of nothing.

The Issue of Stem Cells

The successful cultivation of human embryonic stem cells dates back only two years to their discovery in November 1998. These cells, however, have become the focus of a great deal of debate. The place where the most adaptable stem cells can be found is in an embryo. This brings the abortion debate into the picture and encompasses the question of where life begins.

Some people feel stem cell research looks a little too similar to experimenting on unwilling human subjects. Though the cells by themselves might not grow into a human being, where and how are they obtained? A German biologist, Gisela Badura-Lotter, is of the opinion that "human embryos and fetuses have at least some sort of moral status that protects them from an uncontrolled use for the purpose of others." Such biologists are pushing for more research on the more specialized stem cells taken from adults. Recent studies of adult stem cells taken from bone marrow saw the cells successfully "redirected" to grow into neural (nerve or brain) cells. Research is still necessary, but the potential for the use of such stem cells would remove the controversy related to fetal tissue stem cells.

Reactions

The Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention have come out with a call for an "outright ban on the production of cloned human embryos from fertilization to birth, regardless of how the research is funded." Many other church bodies have formed similar statements.

Even outside the Christian arena, the idea of human cloning just doesn't seem right to many. Several countries, when faced with the reality that, "this could really be done!" responded with quick moved to ban the procedure. Many states in the U.S. are considering or have passed anti-cloning legislation. In the US House of Representatives, Rep. Jay Dickey of Arkansas opined that "Although those who would like to use public funds to research human embryos claim that they only use spare embryos that would 'just go to waste' if they are not used for research purposes, I do not believe there is such [a] thing as a 'spare' human being--a 'spare' child. A human embryo is a human being and must be accorded the moral status of a person from the time of fertilization." In January, 1998, nineteen European nations have signed an agreement prohibiting the genetic replication of humans, stating, "any intervention seeking to create human beings genetically identical to another human being, whether living or dead." It rules out any exception to the ban, even in the case of a completely sterile couple.

The fear is largely based upon the tendency to focus purely on science when such complex moral issues are at stake. This means that the techniques are honed and perfected even before the question of moral right or wrong is settled, and it becomes a question of whether the new technology will get into the wrong hands. Sometimes science turns a blind eye in such situations, but, in reality, is no less guilty of the moral consequences of what it produces. Some of the questions being raised are quite unsettling: "Could people be cloned without conscious brains (so their body parts could be harvested with fewer moral qualms)?" "Could cloning be used to create 'super warriors' or super-intelligent people?" "Could cloning help gay couples to conceive and make men unnecessary for procreation?" (http://www.newscientist.com/nsplus/insight/clone/faq.html)

"More than ever, we need humility and wisdom from God to manage the capabilities He is allowing us to grasp. May we avail ourselves of His moral resources."

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More Christian Views: The Vatican on Embryo Research -- Genome Patenting

Next Article: Cloning Lutheran Responses to Cloning