Human cloning and human dignity
Subtitle: an ethical inquiry.
Contributors: President's Council on Bioethics (U.S.).
Publisher: The President's Council on Bioethics
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 299
Subjects: Human cloning -- Moral and ethical aspects -- United States.; Human cloning -- Government policy -- United States.
Description: The prospect of human cloning burst into the public consciousness in 1997, following the announcement of the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep. It has since captured much attention and generated great debate, both in the United States and around the world. Many are repelled by the idea of producing children who would be genetically virtually identical to preexisting individuals, and believe such a practice unethical. But some see in such cloning the possibility to do good for infertile couples and the broader society. Some want to outlaw it, and many nations have done so. Others believe the benefits outweigh the risks and the moral concerns, or they oppose legislative interference with science and technology in the name of freedom and progress. Complicating the national dialogue about human cloning is the isolation in 1998 of human embryonic stem cells, which many scientists believe to hold great promise for understanding and treating many chronic diseases and conditions. Some scientists also believe that stem cells derived from cloned human embryos, produced explicitly for such research, might prove to be uniquely useful for studying many genetic diseases and devising novel therapies. Public reaction to this prospect has been mixed, with some Americans supporting it in the hope of advancing biomedical research and helping the sick and the suffering, while others are concerned about the instrumentalization or abuse of nascent human life and the resulting danger of moral insensitivity and degradation.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-242).
"July 2002."
Table of contents: title: Letter of transmittal to the President; title: Members of the President's Council on Bioethics; title: Council staff and consultants; title: Preface; title: Executive summary; title: The meaning of human cloning : an overview; title: Historical aspects of cloning; title: On terminology; title: Scientific background; title: The ethics of cloning-to-produce-children; title: The ethics of cloning-for-biomedical-research; title: Public policy options; title: Policy recommendations; title: Bibliography; title: Glossary of terms; title: Appendix: personal statements.