Comments on: Human Cloning? Science meets Morality http://www.jeffthigpen.com/2008/01/20/this-really-makes-me-nervous/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:59:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Jeff Thigpen http://www.jeffthigpen.com/2008/01/20/this-really-makes-me-nervous/#comment-509 Jeff Thigpen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:53:43 +0000 http://www.jeffthigpen.com/2008/01/20/this-really-makes-me-nervous/#comment-509 Like I said, this makes me nervous. haha. Good comment. Like I said, this makes me nervous. haha. Good comment.

]]> By: Zach http://www.jeffthigpen.com/2008/01/20/this-really-makes-me-nervous/#comment-508 Zach Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:07:16 +0000 http://www.jeffthigpen.com/2008/01/20/this-really-makes-me-nervous/#comment-508 This doesn't bother me and I don't really see it as a moral issue. What will be a moral issue is when we can clone human organs for use in life-threatening situations, and they've been genetically modified (or, instead, we genetically modify an embryo we know will develop a certain disease later in life). These would be amazing scientific advances, but the moral issue comes into play when companies who do the genetic modifications claim that they "own" the genes a person thus has, and claims them to be intellectual property of the company. This has already started... many genes are "owned", aka patented, by companies. How long until a company starts charging for better blood flow in a regrown heart? In genetically modified foods, like grain, farmers are already going out of business and being sued by companies who produce genetically modified grain that, by the miracle of wind, spreads and begins to grow in a farmer's field who didn't pay for the grain and simply didn't want it. Then the company sues... I wouldn't be surprised to see this manifest itself similarly in future medical endeavors. Cloning itself I do not think has many moral implications, especially if you do not ascribe metaphysical chains to humans, like the concept of a "soul" or "Creator." How companies will attempt to take advantage definitely does, however. This doesn’t bother me and I don’t really see it as a moral issue. What will be a moral issue is when we can clone human organs for use in life-threatening situations, and they’ve been genetically modified (or, instead, we genetically modify an embryo we know will develop a certain disease later in life). These would be amazing scientific advances, but the moral issue comes into play when companies who do the genetic modifications claim that they “own” the genes a person thus has, and claims them to be intellectual property of the company.

This has already started… many genes are “owned”, aka patented, by companies. How long until a company starts charging for better blood flow in a regrown heart? In genetically modified foods, like grain, farmers are already going out of business and being sued by companies who produce genetically modified grain that, by the miracle of wind, spreads and begins to grow in a farmer’s field who didn’t pay for the grain and simply didn’t want it. Then the company sues… I wouldn’t be surprised to see this manifest itself similarly in future medical endeavors.

Cloning itself I do not think has many moral implications, especially if you do not ascribe metaphysical chains to humans, like the concept of a “soul” or “Creator.” How companies will attempt to take advantage definitely does, however.

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