Re: "Cloning Breakthrough" not one

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Tue Nov 27 2001 - 09:25:31 MST


Louis Newstrom wrote:
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-extropians@extropy.org
> > Do people think there are any non-bogus ethical considerations
> > in regard to cloning? If so, what are those?
> >
>
> One that makes sense to me is the "oops" factor.
>
> Who is responsible for taking care of a clone? What if a batch turns out
> with low IQ. Will the company that created them take care of them or kill
> them? Just as with the abortion debate, when a clone becomes a citizen with
> rights is going to be a big debate.
>
> Even on trivial mistakes, there are questions. What if some people were
> created with blue skin? Would bigoted people discriminate against them? Or
> possibly, technophiles might treat them as a privileged class.

This all presupposes that some massive changes in child custody law
occur between now and then, specifically that corporations could own
human beings or obtain parental rights. Given the state of current law,
and the presence of the 14th amendment, this argument falls in the
"bogus" category.



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