Genetic Experimentation

Upon my first reading of the course material on cloning, the dilemma presented in the syllabi literally took my breath away. In fact, I was so profoundly affected by the hypothetical, that I made a Xerox copy and mailed it to my grandfather in New York. Initially I found myself wondering about the following question raised during a bioethics seminar:

A wife requested that she be implanted with the twin embryo her mother-in law had frozen many years ago; the mother in-law agrees, and the wife then presents her husband a "gift "-his own twin as his son.

Although an interesting situation, I must wonder whether this is a gift-or in some cases, a life sentence! Certainly, this could help answer the Nature v. Nurture argument once and for all-and I am tempted to let my intellectual curiosity get the better of me. Despite my Generation X status, I do not feel we can forget historical efforts to commit mass genocide against Jews, Armenians, and other ethnic groups.

It would be naïve to think someone hasn't already thought about the potential "benefits" of cloning, and how it might expedite the evolutionary process of Social Darwinism.

As mentioned in class, 6% of those surveyed would actually consider cloning themselves. I would be willing to bet that this percentage of the population has some overlap with those who feel privileged enough to be part of the Aryan "master" race.

Let us not forget that Hitler nearly succeeded in his plans to exterminate the entire Jewish population less than 50 years ago. It seems probable that some other maniac has or will think of the idea-and will hardly be persuaded by a few government restrictions on intellectual freedom and scientific curiosity. Lack of federal funding will hardly dissuade anyone with enough power or money to conduct experiments any way he sees fit.

Claiming constitutional protections under the First Amendment is quite a stretch- I do not think the First Amendment was intended to extend beyond freedom of the press and free speech. Clearly, the manipulation of genetic material and scientific experimentation on humans is bit different from the freedom to assembly.

How much prison time does one serve for 12 million acts of first-degree pre-meditated murder? Imagine if Hitler was forced to face his own demons by raising his own genetic clone? Although this may not be an effective form of punishment, it would certainly be an interesting one!