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Ethics

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Is human cloning “playing with nature?”

“I think cloning's bad, and I think GMO food is bad, when they put fish DNA in tomatoes and stuff like that.” Star brushed her hair away from her face, shrugging, and leaning back in her seat. That was about as deep as her mind went in to the topic.

“I think it's unnatural..." Sam started cautiously, speaking up. "But it's not playing with nature. It's copying nature. But still..." she shrugged. If she was known for anything, it was being brutally honest. "I don't think there's any reason to do it. It shouldn't be done. Humans don't need to be cloned."

Valerie frowned. She was still distracted, but was able to pull out an answer absentmindedly. “If nature didn't intend for us to, then I don't think we'd be able to. So no, we're not playing with nature, or pretending to be god.”

If a clone originates from an existing person, who is the parent?

There was a long awkward silence, where nobody knew quite how to answer the question.

"...I thought it was the person who made the clone." a quiet voice piped up, breaking the silence. It was the younger girl - Danny's cousin. He'd specifically asked permission for her to join the class this week. For some reason, she'd wanted to sit in. Valerie was trying to puzzle out what she was doing here at all - it wasn't like she'd forgotten about her.

But Danielle didn't seem to remember Valerie - or at the very least, recognize her. Which made sense. She hadn't seen her out of her suit very much the last time they met.

"No!" Star cut in suddenly. "Isn't a clone supposed to be like... an identical twin or something? A 'genetic duplicate'? She held up her fingers in air quotes around the unfamiliar words. "I think that means the clone's parents are the parents of whoever it was cloned from."

"Who. Not it." Muttered from the other side of the desk, but too quietly to pick out who had said it.

"Whoever gives birth is the parent!" Paulina argued. If you're going to grow a baby for nine months, then it had better be yours!"

Another moment of silence. "Oh yeah. I forgot, clones are grown in other people."

Danny stuck his hand up. "But what if they weren't grown and given birth to by a 'mother'?" Before he could get an answer though, another opinion made itself known.

"It's the same as asexual reproduction.” Tucker spoke up from where he sat on a desk a few rows back, for some reason, sounding strangely odded out. "So... I think, technically... the parent of a clone would be the person their DNA was taken from..."

She also had to wonder what she was doing with Danny - her Danny. The last time they'd met, she'd been handing around with Phantom. She was supposed to be his cousin. But here she was now, sitting in on a regular classroom, like a regular girl - if Valerie didn't know better, she never could have guessed that there was anything remotely different about her. Did Danny know?

And there's this. Will cloning fit into our ethical principles? Won't it put the human rights of the clone at stake? Won't cloning devalue mankind? Won't it demean the value of human life?

"No!" Sam answered instantly, suddenly seeming upset, as she actually jumped from her seat. "That's a ridiculous statement! That's going on the assumption that cloned humans are less valuable then natural humans. What makes them any different, if they're still a living, breathing person? Ethical and moral principles should apply to clones the exact same way as they apply to natural-born humans!”

"But a clone isn't a real person!" Paulina argued, caught off guard by Sam's sudden enthusiasm, and responding in kind. "Humans can recreate life, but not a soul. Clones don't have souls.”

"That's not true! That's-"

"Stupid!" Now Danny was standing, too. Danielle seemed to be shrinking down between him and Sam, almost disappearing under the desk. "You've taken sex-ed, so you know how children are created! People are 'playing God' just as much in cloning as they are when they have children. It's just genetics!" He had to stop to take a breath, and suddenly flushed when he realized he was shouting in front of the whole class. He quickly took his seat again.

"Plus, if God doesn't want to give a clone a soul, then it'll be born brain-dead. If not, then there ya go, I guess it has a soul.” Sam said, smilingly smugly, taking her seat again as well.

“Do you think God will love the clone if he didn't actually create it?” Paulina shot back, almost instantly.

Danny and Sam both looked ready to attack again, but someone else cut in before either had the chance.

“I can only pity any person who lives in a world ruled by so judgemental and condemning a being." Dani asked quietly. Even though she was speaking in a relatively mild voice, that wasn't to say she was at all timid or subdued. She was sitting up her seat and sounded self-assured. Even if Paulina didn't have an answer for her, she knew what she believed.

Valerie was impressed by the reply. But she was also wondering why the the lot of them would get so worked up about the topic. Dash had zone out ages ago, Kwan was napping, even Tucker seemed to be only paying half his attention, instead focusing on a handheld video game, and Star was obviously over her head by this point.

What is your overall opinion of human cloning?

“I don't think people should be allowed to make clones. It's just playing with nature too much. Even if you make clone it won't be a real person." Star answered uncertainly, glancing over to Paulina for approval, who nodded at her answer.

"If we cloned people," Paulina took over, "what a shock it would be to learn that you shouldn’t exist. You're no one!”

"That's not true!" Danny and Dani snapped back in perfect unison. It was a little bit eerie, and enough to plunge the class back into another awkward silence.

That was when everything seemed to click into place.

- - - - -

Yup, that's right. I didn't colour Dash's shoes. Couldn't find a good reference. ._.
Bah.

I'd like to hear your opinions on any of the questions mentioned or other related topics.

~Dash
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YumaTheMinecrafter's avatar
I.. Wow. That Convo thou.
...
Damn. Is there a sequel story to this?
If not, I feel like I'm gonna go crazy.