Threads From the Conversation

Since Dolly the Sheep was cloned in 1997, commentators have agreed that human cloning creates intriguing potential while posing formidable dangers to mankind. This essay is a compendium of thoughts and observations expressed by professionals attending a cross-disciplinary consultation sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Chicago, Illinois, on October 13-15, 2000. The essay highlights the moral and legal ramifications of this new technology by examining human cloning in scientific and social contexts and emphasizing the fundamental moral questions that underpin the debate. It also identifies warrants for the participation of religious communities in the public debate -- warrants for both encouraging and countenancing such participation. Common convictions shared by attendees at the consultation include the view that genetic science holds the potential for healing and societal improvement, but that human fallibility and moral fault may cause the destructive release of immense new powers into society. Therefore, the technological imperative, i.e., that we should do whatever we are able to do, must be challenged. Religious institutions worldwide have a distinctive contribution to make to this debate and must directly confront the moral issues inherent in human cloning when contributing to the public dialogue. Human cloning can helpfully be divided into reproductive and therapeutic for moral reflection, although they cannot be technologically separated. Sooner rather than later, perhaps within the span of a few years, successful cloning from human adult DNA could be a practical possibility. Foreseen and unforeseen problems abound. The public debate must balance scientific advancement with moral inquiry to determine what course of action results in the greatest public good. Without rigorous social debate market forces will, by default, ultimately determine the fate of human cloning technology. Religious institutions have the ability to foster social debate in parishes, congregations, synagogues, mosques, and temples but the question remains open as to whether they will do so. Global questions of poverty, race, and gender are fundamental to any discussion of cloning technology, but rarely raised. Religious communities, again, have a distinctive opportunity to bring such questions into social consideration. Fundamental and universal questions recur in any discussion of human cloning. What is humankind's place in nature? Can it be manipulated without altering nature at some basic level? Are there natural boundaries which we transgress only at dire risk? What are they? Do individual rights prevail over communal rights? Should humans practice procreative cloning? Although reproductive cloning poses no threat to religious convictions about the human soul or sprit because both would be present in each cloned individual, concerns about human dignity and individuality persist. Could or should a human genome be granted patent protection? Could a law even be fashioned that would effectively regulate human procreative cloning? These questions require religious contribution. A moratorium on human reproductive cloning is warranted until questions pertaining to the safety of somatic nuclear transfer, societal concerns, and practical workability are satisfactorily answered by human reproductive cloning proponents. Should humans clone for therapeutic purposes? In the case of stem cell research, the primary moral inquiry is the moral and legal status of the pre-implantation embryo. Is it a human being or simply human tissue? What are its rights? What duties do we owe it? Answers to these questions must be weighed against the as-yet-undemonstrated health benefits of embryonic stem cell research. Because of the profound moral issues at stake, it is at least clear that alternatives to embryonic stem cells should be vigorously encouraged and pursued. Because time is short, society has an acute need to debate these fundamental values before embracing human cloning technology. The religious community must take a seat at this table of conversation.