SCMP, November 28, 2002
Italian fertility doctor Severino Antinori has created the most difficult of ethical dilemmas. Should the 33-week-old cloned foetus, that he claims a woman he has treated is carrying, be aborted?
The cloning of human beings goes against scientific thinking and poses serious moral, societal and ethical questions. Scientists have yet to produce a perfect animal clone. Most are born with abnormalities and die shortly after birth. Those that survive age prematurely or are highly susceptible to disease. There is no reason to believe that human clones should be immune to such problems.
To clone a baby, knowing full well the risks, for the sake of scientific intrigue, is inhumane.
There is, however, a case for the cloning of human tissue. Repairing organs such as lungs or hearts would save the lives of millions of people suffering incurable diseases and unable to afford or wait for expensive transplants.
But while genetics and stem cell research should be encouraged, the cloning of humans must be outlawed. Countries must put such laws in place quickly to prevent private experiments while debates continue.