Throughout history, the human race has dealt with deformity and the disabled according to their individual beliefs and customs of that time. Outright death was an acceptable means in ancient history, whether by human hands or left to nature.
Then, with Darwin, it was survival of the fittest. Even today, with modern legislation and public awareness, America still struggles emotionally and physically with issues of how to preserve the dignity of our handicapped and maintain fairness in all areas toward owners of businesses, transportation operators, heath-care providers/insurers, etc.
When cloning fruits and vegetables, the spoiled are thrown out. When cloning animals, reptiles or fish, are failures and non-living tissues thrown out? How are mistakes dealt with? Disposed of?
But what is to be done with the mistakes of human cloning? Dr. Richard Seed admits he wants to be the first doctor to bring a cloned human to fruition. Is it right or just to play with nature?
The greater question posed is the scariest. Will our doctors and scientists in fact be murderers if they terminate their mistakes? How will we the public even know when a mistake, be it in tissue or life form, has occurred? Unfortunately, President Clinton is already too late to deal with the intent of these creators. I submit that modern-day Frankenstein-like experiments could be occurring even now.
Current technology allows pregnant women to make an informed choice to either terminate or carry a known problematic pregnancy to term and birth. Those parents will legally be obligated to provide financial and emotional care for that possibly handicapped child with society’s help. What are the ramifications financially and emotionally with a living handicapped cloned being? Who are the parents? Who will financially and emotionally be responsible for its welfare? Are we as a society ready for engineered human cloning mistakes?
