A Fascinating Ethical Question
Essay Question 6

Posted for the week of May 14, 2000. Attach your word processor (Word or WordPerfect) responses (a least two pages) to an e-mail note to your teaching assistant. DO NOT simply type your responses into the body of an e-mail sender. The formatting will be lost. Pay attention to organization and grammar as you put together your responses. Your written response is due no later than 3:00 on Tuesday, May 23.

You will have read the discussion section article on anencephalics by now. You are also quite aware of Dolly, the cloned sheep. Recently, Dolly gave birth to a normal lamb. Also, recently a physicist has stated that he wishes to clone a human. It is probably possible to do so. Congress either already has or shortly will ban such research efforts. Some physicians and some researchers feel that no such ban should be imposed and that some types of human clones would be very useful, for example, as a source of organs for organ transplants. Explain just what is involved in cloning. Also speak to the idea of "growing" organs in human clones. Also discuss the issue from an ethics point of view.

You will need to do some searching on the Internet or in the library. You should provide me the basis for your answers (a journal article; a web URL; a book; a popular news magazine article). You may include your own particular views on the matter, but please reflect on the science before you "put fingers to the keyboard." A useful metasearch engine on the web is:

http://www.dogpile.com/
http://www.northernlight.com/

In the library, consult the General Science Index or ask a librarian for help.

You can return to the Syllabus Page if you wish.