| If your clone decided to vote, too, does that count as one vote or two? What if he or she voted for the other guy? Are they really a clone if they act differently than the original? Imagine if John were cloned. He could do a podcast with himself. | 
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‘Now we have the technology that can make a cloned child’
A new form of cloning has been developed that is easier to carry out than the technique used to create Dolly the sheep, raising fears that it may one day be used on human embryos to produce “designer” babies.
Scientists who used the procedure to create baby mice from the skin cells of adult animals have found it to be far more efficient than the Dolly technique, with fewer side effects, which makes it more acceptable for human use.
The mice were made by inserting skin cells of an adult animal into early embryos produced by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). Some of the resulting offspring were partial clones but some were full clones – just like Dolly.
Unlike the Dolly technique, however, the procedure is so simple and efficient that it has raised fears that it will be seized on by IVF doctors to help infertile couples who are eager to have their own biological children.
What is the intent here? To roll out as many nonsense concerns as possible?
Why not add “What if the clone tries to kill you and take over your life?” Idiot concerns like that?
The only issue here is once you cross the line and violate gods plan for you, shouldn’t the only concern be producing the healthiest offspring possible? If that is a clone rather than growing an ex-untero fertilzed egg, who cares?
And why? I keep reading as in this article that “cloning is unethical.” On what basis?
I think a few million clones of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney could do nothing but enhance the quality of the human race.
People who think that they have not already cloned human(s) are naive.
@Cinaedh
Only if they use them for cannon fodder. Maybe their clones can make up their progenitor’s karmic debt.
#4 – Improbus
In one of the episodes of the series Rome on History Channel, two of the soldiers collected bloated, floating corpses to create a raft, which they used to escape from a barren, deserted sandbar/island.
For everything and everyone, there is a use.
And what is the problem with cloning?
I was all for cloning until I read “Imagine if John were cloned”. Now I’m against it….
In all seriousness, nature has been cloning since nature began. Have you ever met an identical twin?
Do twins get to vote? Do they act differently? Yes and yes.
I am lining up to get myself cloned so me and my evil minions can take over the world.
i’m worried if women ever find a way to use this they will never need us(men) again
I still rue the day I washed my opera length gloves after meeting and shaking hands with Bill Gates in ’98 at the PC Mag Comdex awards…how much would that DNA be worth on eBay???
…but then again, the world is now a much safer place.
#2
I agree can we have one of each sent to every American household to kick the crap out of for the pain they have put us through. Would go along way to healing the nation. I am sure there would be an export market too.
#7 beat me to what I was going to say.
I remember when one of the co-discoverers of DNA was on the Screen Savers he just batted away the ethical concerns of cloning by saying “They’re nothing more than a time delayed identical twin.”
He did go on to say there is a considerable downside to cloning: “Criminal justice. DNA testing is a great way to catch criminals and cloning would cloud the certainty.”
Unlike the Dolly technique, however, the procedure is so simple and efficient that it has raised fears that it will be seized on by IVF doctors to help infertile couples who are eager to have their own biological children.
Fears that infertile couples might have another chance to have a child. GASP! The horrors! Reminds me VERY strongly of the “moral outrage” against the first successful IVF (non-cloning) process back in 1978. Idiots. In almost every case, the primary motivation to this sort of “controversy” is based entirely on “religious concerns.”
Yes, there IS always adoption, but for some people – they don’t really consider it a true option – and why should that choice be made FOR them?
#3 “People who think that they have not already cloned human(s) are naive.”
As #11 points out – they’re called identical twins.
There’s no danger of my clone taking over my life. I’m nearly 60 years older than it could possibly be.
We should be thinking of how to stop making so many rather than how to make more of ’em.
Anyone ever hear of the concept of inferior goods? It says that people purchase fewer inferior goods as income increases, as opposed to normal goods which are purchased in increasing quantity with increasing income. Hot dogs would be an example of inferior goods. In general people buy fewer hot dogs as their income increases.
Are children inferior goods? Certainly, world wide on average, as income increases, births per thousand women per year declines.
(Yes, I know, children aren’t really goods and aren’t really purchased. But, having them does cost money, time, and resources. Perhaps they can be thought of this way. At least it is fun to do so, for those of us who do not have any.)
#14
Not crazy about the “goods” analogy, but let’s work with it for a sec.
If a parent has the income and choses to invest in a costly medical procedure that isn’t covered by insurance and isn’t guaranteed to work (as IVF is frequently today, sans cloning). It can be argued that type of parent is more likely (or at least capable) to be the type of people who WANT their children and are more likely to take care of them? If nothing else, be able to financially provide for them without outside economic aid?
Wouldn’t that be considered a potentially higher-quality “good” than those who are in poverty – yet pump out multiple “free” kids because they don’t know about – or don’t care about – birth control?
Not saying everyone should have kids. Not for one second, mind you. I’ll also admit my bias, since my daughter is a “science baby.”
#3
Medical Community: Send in The Clones!
Farquaon: They’re already Here!
– I had to!
Now is the time to to enact legislation before it becomes and issue for clones, cyborgs and inorganics.
The sooner we get laws on the books to protect them and ourselves, the more we can enjoy the new lives we will have through cloning, splicing and stem cells.
I just hope it hurrys up enough for me to get a second look at haley’s comet when it comes round again.
It would be nice for my android wife, 100 cloned children and my stem celled, spliced self to see it. I’ll have the little misses record it to her nanotube drive so we can post it on the John’s clone blog.
Cursor_
In fact, identical twins are more identical than clones which show some genetic impairment.
RBG
#15 – Jamie,
Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I was NOT talking about “science babies” in particular. I was talking about babies in general.
Worldwide, it has long been noted that as people come out of poverty, the birth rate drops. In developing nations (or failed nations), birthrates are often on the order of six per thousand women per year. Once the economy gets better, women get educated and into the workforce and the birthrate drops to something closer to two per thousand women per year.
Essentially, there is a strong trend that overall, though not for every individual, as income and standard of living increase, birthrates decline.
Of course, the U.S. bucks the trend, as on so many issues. Where average families in Europe and most other wealthy nations is below replacement, in the U.S. it is above replacement. However, even here, it is still well below that of poorer nations.
So, again, sorry for the implication regarding “science babies”. On that score, I was merely stating that we should be attempting to reduce birthrates overall, not increase them. And, no, I don’t begrudge anyone the chance to have children if they are having any difficulty in that department.
I would merely state that we should make sure that birth control and family planning programs are well supported so that people can at least make an informed choice. I was lucky that my vasectomy was covered, though I would have paid for it anyway. But, many people that cannot afford it are not so lucky and end up with accidental pregnancies.
#18
On that score I agree. I feel that it isn’t necessary for people to have kids, and if they choose to, the focus should be on quality not quantity and that there should be a priority in people making that choice as an informed one, rather than “oops!”
umm.. “bobbo” didn’t spell “God” right.. the only “cloning” thats is ok would be organ cloning.. creating life ourselves is just wrong.. we shouldn’t be putting ourselves in God’s place by messing around and trying to control God’s plan of who can have children and who cant.. etc. etc. etc…. and.. when i saw the headline on google.. i laughed so hard.. but children are for loving.. not baking 😉
Um, why would anyone want to be cloned?!?
Parts. Hubris. Curiosity. The march of technology. Like a plug-in should be everyone 2-3-or 4th car, every 2-3-or 4th kid should be a clone.
It only makes sense.