Gregory pence onhuman cloning: An ethical evaluation

Abstract

Human cloning is one of the new reproductive technologies. It is among the most controversial and hotly debated topic in bioethics. The central point of controversy has been, is it right to clone or not? This question has dominated contemporary discussions in bioethics. It has attracted a lot of arguments and counter  arguments. It has been a point of divergence among philosophers, medical practitioners, theologians and psychologists. In fact this has further raised a lot of ethical, legal and social challenges that need urgent attention. Human cloning has a lot of advantages  which include assisting infertile couples to have genetically  related children and availability of organs for transplant. Research
also testifies that cloning can improve the genetic health of future generation/children. Amidst this good news there has been itching and clamour from several quarters for human cloning to be  banned. Philosophers especially bioethicists have posited strong arguments to justify the prohibition of human cloning. Gregory Pence a strong proponent of human cloning argues that cloning has a lot of advantages that humanity can tap from if allowed to continue. In his argument there is nothing wrong with human cloning rather fear and ignorance make people to condemn it. In this connection this paper argues that despite the benefits of human cloning, it still raises some ethical and social challenges. It threatens the dignity of human beings, can lead to abuses and commodification of human beings.

Key Words: Cloning, Ethics, Reproduction, Therapeutic, Gene