Cloning for the Commoner

This entry was originally posted November 15th:

2001 TIMES Article Human Cloning: Baby, It's You! And You, And You... by N. Gibbs et al

I found this article after searching through and reading articles about cloning and society. Published in 2001, this article reviews the hopes, dreams, and fears of the American public around the issue of cloning, particularly as it relates to human genes. Prior to publishing the article, TIME ran a poll that found that 90% of Americans thought cloning humans was a "bad idea." Following the poll, TIME painted cloning in a very optimistic light, focusing on the potential benefits cloning could have for sterile couples (or gay couples), and for organ transplantation. It is a very interesting snapshot of optimism in a time before legislation battles on cloning became serious, and in particular, debates over stem-cell research. The article references the Realien group, which is considered a religious cult whose primary focus is creating human clones. At the time of the article, it was considered quite possible that news of the creation or existence of a human clone would break in a matter of months, maybe even weeks. Considering this, the article is very optimistic about the extent of time and investment it would take to produce a human clone. The article appears very expectant of an underground, outcast group popping up with a clone. As we now know, this has not happened. The cost necessary to do this is just too great, and the depth of the hope gauged by the article was far off the actual level that actually existed. There was not enough hope to fuel private investment to make these technologies a reality. The truth is, these sorts of advances will only come about with federal funds, as we can see with our 20/20 hindsight.

After reading this article, it is striking to note the lack of urgency or hope in treatment through cloning technologies outside of the medical community today. Indeed, cloning seemed to be seen solely through the lens of reproduction. Has fear of extremists, indeed, ruined the enthusiasm for success? The inhibitory legislation that passed as a result of this fear has kept us from potentially saving lives. But, because cloning is such "old news," and nothing has come out of it yet (or at least, nothing has come to fruition), is it now dull in the eyes of the public? What needs to happen for the commoner to get behind the idea of continuing research in cloning?

Clearly, these are important questions to answer, especially if it is our goal to introduce cloning to the healthcare debates. If the public is too scared of cloning technologies, if they are ignorant of the potential benefits it may provide to the diseased and disabled, then we will be hard-pressed as a society to see cloning advance enough, and be supported enough, to make it into healthcare debates.

A. Wilde