Pastor Richard Frazier of Trinity English Lutheran Church worries that cloning ignores the dignity of the individual by creating a person genetically identical to another. Cloning also encourages us to think of people as objects or a cluster of genes, warned the Rev. Laurie Proctor, pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Martha Brown agrees. But like West Central Ministry's Thomas, Brown also sees good in cloning technology's great potential for easing human suffering, both in the area of health care and in food production. We already clone plants, Brown said.
Researchers genetically engineer hybrid seeds, for example, to maximize crop yields.
Brown also sees cloning technology aiding in treatment or prevention of diseases, such as diabetes. But the potential for abuse means cloning must be controlled, she and others said.