Transgenic animals could be cloned to produce human pharmaceuticals or even organs for human transplantation. When utility becomes the sole lens through which we view nonhuman animals, we have begun a systematic ethical decline. The industrialized production of agricultural animals according to pre-specified standards will inevitably undermine any respectful stance toward animals that may remain in our highly corporatized culture. Our experience undermines any argument that the human realm can be successfully insulated from a basic disrespect for other living organisms. Historical experience also points to a relationship between increased interest in genetic enhancement and decreased respect for the natural variation in ethnicity and ability in human life.
Genetic engineering is a technology developed largely with public tax funds.
Hence, in fashioning policies for its implementation we should reflect upon citizen concerns. The Council for Responsible Genetics joins the call for a worldwide ban on human cloning and for wide public debate on the wisdom and ethics of animal cloning.