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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction………………………………………………………………………p.2

Definition of cloning……………………………………………………………p.2-3

Reproductive technologies……………………………………………………..p.3-4

Therapeutic technique…………………………………………………………...p.4-5

Asexual human reproduction…………………………………………………..p.5-6

Definition of dignity……………………………………………………………..p.6

Religious views on human cloning and dignity……………………………..p.6-11

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………....p.12

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………p.13

What are the different religious approaches to human cloning? Are they all preserving          the concept of human dignity?

Biomedical sciences have made not only important advances for mankind, in addition, their research and experimentation have brought about heated debates touching on what “we” hold dear, and that is: our humanity. Cloning is definitely one of the hot topics. The general public is more worried about the “cloned” twin rather than asking themselves if science can really bring human cloning to practice. In today’s society, we know that Dolly, the cloned sheep, is dead but does the “possibility” still exist and refer to human cloning. If states around the world have already made legislation against cloning, what fears remain? What voices are raised to answer these questions so dear to all of us? In this paper, I will discuss the different religious approaches to human cloning, and view in detail if they are preserving the concept of human dignity.

Definition of cloning

        To clarify, cloning is a reproductive technology that not only removes, the insemination and fertilization of a couple, but it also excludes the partner from the complete procedure of reproduction. Its alleged advantages are eugenic in spirit: “removal of deleterious genetic material from the gene pool, and programming the genotype in such a way as to maximize certain desirable traits-e.g. intelligence, creativity, artistic ability” .

There are some people that judge the procedures of cloning as moral in stipulations of its consequences, such as Joseph Fletcher. This because, if controlling reproduction would help improve the intelligence of a human being, this would in a future help solve the problems the human world is facing nowadays. In today’s society, many are suspicious that there might be “something inhumane” in the science laboratory where human cloning is practiced, but it is definite that “man is a maker and a selector and a designer, and the more rationally contrived and deliberate anything is, the human it is” . From this statement, one can come to the conclusion that, “laboratory reproduction is radically human compared to conception by ordinary heterosexual intercourse. It is willed, chosen, purposed and controlled, and surely they are among the traits that distinguish Homo sapiens from others in the animal genus” . Numerous questions are asked on the subject matter of human cloning, such as: “Will cloning really help improve the problems in our society by creating smarter clones? What determines an “improved human”? Why is cloning still practiced, if it is shown to destroy certain important human values, such as: parenthood, marriage, and the family? These are the questions that not only are asked in the society we live in now, but will continue to be asked for decades as technology will become increasingly more sophisticated.

 Reproductive technologies

In today’s society, the use of cloning is seen more often like a commercialized reproduction. This meaning that sexual reproduction is being replaced by new commercialized reproduction, this rotating around a sale of desired genotypes. Many critics were concerned by the appearance of unauthentic websites that would offer cloned copies of famous celebrities. One might think that mass commercialized reproduction is not possible, but what is shown on those spurious websites may easily occur in today’s society. A clone can be formed by virtually any integral diploid body cell, for example deriving from a blood spot or also a hair follicle. The fear some critics are facing is that these new reproductive technologies might be used without using the reproductive privacy and the un-consented use of ones genome. Critics fear that with the use of reproductive cloning, people throughout the world might abandon what is seen

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 to be normal parenting and rely further on this new form of reproductive technology.

Therapeutic technique

“The term “therapeutic cloning”, is used to deceive the general public into believing that human cloning is acceptable and beneficial”, whether “Therapeutic” or not, it is done in the following manner:

First of all, scientists obtain DNA from any cell in the body that is not a germ cell,

“sperm” or “egg”. This cell taken from the DNA is called somatic cell (a cell containing two copies of each of the genes that make up a person, also known as diploid), whereas

germ ...

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