Jewish Law on Cloning and Its History

The issues of cloning and stem cell research are not easy ones to deal with and Jewish scholars and rabbis often have trouble coming to an agreement about them. There are many different opinions, problems and nuances in Jewish mysticism and law regarding therapeutic cloning, reproductive cloning and stem cell research and I will explore the wide range of criticisms and arguments as I discuss whether or not these medical procedures are permissible under Jewish law.

In order to engage in a discussion of stem cell research and cloning, it is important to first distinguish the different types of cloning and ways in which stem cell research is conducted. Cloning can be broken down into two methods: reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning. Therapeutic cloning involves similar steps taken by reproductive cloning but the intended goal is quite different. While the intent of reproductive cloning is to produce a full living, breathing human being, the goal of therapeutic cloning is to create organs and tissue to cure people from disease and sickness. The first successful therapeutic cloning experiment was performed by the biotech company called Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Massachusetts in November 2001.

The therapeutic process involves the removal of DNA from the nucleus of an embryo and replacing it with the DNA in cells from another person who needs the organ or tissue transplant. The egg with the DNA attached to it is able to divide and subdivide forming an outer and inner cell layer. The inner cell layer is then isolated and grown in lab test tubes for up to 14 days. Afterwards, the stem cells are extracted from the test tubes. Then these stem cells are harvested and used to grow into tissue or full human organs. The remaining embryos are discarded and the genetic material is transplanted into the patient's body. Normally the human body would reject foreign genetic material, however, because the genetic material contains the encoded protein called ESC (Embryonic Stem Cell lines) from the original patient, the human body accepts the genetic material and starts to rebuild or create new healthy tissue and organ parts for the body.

Starting with these areas in cloning and stem cell research in which there is clear agreement is the cloning of plants and animals. Several years ago a sheep named Dolly was cloned which marked a new milestone for reproductive technology in cloning. Jewish law concerning medicine is very clear when it comes to saving lives. Doctors must do everything that they can in their power to save a person's life. Cloning plants and animals can produce a cure needed to save a person's life. Human life is also regarded as a higher life form than a plant or animal and the soul of a human holds a higher importance in Jewish law than the soul of a plant or animal. The cloning of Dolly on February 23, 1997 in Scotland and other animals has been cited by medical doctors as a stepping stone for providing ways of creating insulin for the body to fight diabetes. Test labs such as the one that created the cloned sheep will allow scientists and researchers to find cures for diseases so that doctors can save lives.