Chapter Six
Human Cloning and Stem Cell Research
1. How Cloning Works: A Brief History
a. Clone: “an exact genetic copy of a molecule, cell, plant, or animal”
b. Nuclear Transplantation Cloning
c. Somatic cell: any cell other than sperm or egg, both of which are known as germ cells
d. Dolly, did not live a full life, had complications, died early
e. Differentiate
f. Telomeres quality depending on sexual reproduction
g. Starting off with old cells, born old
2. The Wisdom of Repugnance (Leon R. Kass)
a. Would anybody’s failure to give full rational justification for his revulsion at those practices make
that revulsion ethically suspect?
b. Emotivism: a form of relativism, right and wrong is just how people react to something
c. Repugnance, here as elsewhere, revolts against the excesses of human willfulness, warning us
not to transgress what is unspeakably profound.
d. Just because you think its gross, doesn’t make it wrong. Sushi example.
e. 3 arguments to why cloning is problematic (p.239)
i. The technological: “cloning will be seen as an extension of existing techniques, cloning is
just like any other technology (you can do good or bad with it)
ii. The Liberal: “sets cloning…” john stuart mill’s no harm principle, if it doesn’t hurt anyone
then there is no problem
iii. The meleorist (working towards a better future) : “embraces…” “these people…” better
eugenics, optimum babies, perfect genetics to rid diseases
f. Scientism: the view that science provides us all the goods of the universe, scientists think this is
the best and only way to learn
g. Difference between liberal and libertarianism
h. 3 arguments pg 243
i. Held expectations, living up to accomplishments, the pressure is on!
j. It is important that a child come from two people, otherwise it is manufacture, dehumanizing
humans, 2nd class citizens, DNA matching in order to do certain things, custom designing
k. Gatica
l. Evolution happens BECAUSE OF novelty
10-26-09
Moral Status of Cloning Humans
By: Michael Tooley
1. Is it intrinsically wrong to produce a person by cloning?
2. Does a person have a right to a genetically unique nature?
a. Just because you have an identical twin, doesn’t mean you will be the exact same
b. 50% correlation for identical twins, more similar but yet not the same
c. Burden of proof: who has to actually prove that a claim is true, prosecutor has the burden of
proof, they have to prove the situation happened. The defense only has to poke holes in theory.
d. Prima facie wrong
e. Fundamental thought: Identical twins are unethical, because they don’t have genetically unique
nature.
f. Genetic determinism: your genes make you who you are, everything is a result of your genes.
3. The open future argument
a. For example you are a clone of a celebrity that lived before you. If you are a clone you have
expectations to fulfill. Your life is composed of striving for that same success. This makes you
depressed because you are trapped in this situation. But, you also could see what you would be
good at. You can see what you will excel at and try something new. This knowledge fo your
earlier self would guide you to your natural abilities.
