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The topic of cloning came to the fore in March 1997 when Dr. Ian Wilmut announced that "Dolly" the sheep had been born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland. Dolly was a clone, genetically identical to her cell-donor. (This is similar to the movie "Jurassic Park," where a drop of preserved dinosaur blood was used to generate new generations of dinosaurs.) Oregon researchers have since announced their cloning of monkeys, and scientists predict that human cloning is achievable within the next decade. It is important to establish up-front how cloning works, and what exactly it is and isn't. Otherwise, the topic can quickly turn into a far-out discussion of science fiction, which may be boring for anyone who's not a Trekkie. Here's the key background info: Every cell in our body contains the genetic coding of our entire physical make-up. For example, a liver cell contains all the genetic coding for eye color, hair color, intelligence, skin tone, etc. What happens during the process of fetal development is that of the thousands of characteristics encoded on the DNA strand, all but one of them are "silenced." For example, in the particular cell which becomes a liver, only the "liver DNA" has an active voice, while the eye-color DNA is dormant. In the process of cloning, one adult cell (in the case of Dolly, a cell from a mammary gland) is stimulated to such a point whereby all the thousands of characteristics are "re-activated" - thereby enabling a new creature to fully develop from this single cell. (This was the basis of Woody Allen's 1973 film, "Sleeper," where a world leader suffers a tragic accident and is reconstructed from his nose.)
There are 3 main steps to cloning: Every human being is unique.Generally, scientific breakthroughs (e.g. man on the moon, invitro fertilization, etc.) are greeted by the general public with accolades and enthusiasm. The idea of human cloning, meanwhile, has been typically received with disdain and trepidation. Why do you think that is? People perceive cloning as an affront to their humanity and sense of individuality. But it is a fallacy to think that "genetically identical" equals an identical human being. In the 1978 movie, "The Boys From Brazil," an evil scientist conspires after the War to clone Hitler, in order to raise a new generation of Nazi leaders. The movie shows that without intense indoctrination, these "junior Hitlers" may be more inclined to become house-painters than they are to become dictators. Consider also the example of identical twins - who are genetically identical -but often grow up with vastly different personalities. This can be attributed to: 1) unique souls, and 2) different life experiences. So too, the cloned being has a unique soul, and different life experiences. (The only difference between twins and a clone is that twins are the same age, while clones are separated by one generation, or to be more exact, the age of the cell-donor.) The idea has been suggested of cloning Michael Jordon to make (potentially) great basketball players. It is very un-Jewish - and even racist - to say that the value of a human being is defined by a particular set of physical features. This philosophy is promoted by Nazi's and other White Supremacists. It is a basis of Jewish thought that every individual has a unique soul. Each human has a totally unique combination of talents, skills, sensitivities and perceptions. It is that diversity which defines us as precious and "human." The Talmud says that Adam was created alone, so that each person should say, "For my sake alone the world was created." In order to fulfill one's potential, we need to discover what is our unique contribution to the world. In the Purim story, when Mordechai sends Esther a message asking her to go visit the king, he indicates that her very purpose for creation rests on this key moment. (see Esther 4:14) Cloning is a harsh reminder that I'd better get serious and figure out what's the purpose of life! We can each ask ourselves: If I only had one year to live, what would I choose to do? What changes would I make in my career and relationships? How might I change the way I spend my time and my money? Propagation and the Jewish family.Unlike other religions who may issue across-the-board rejections of progressive medical techniques, Judaism takes a pragmatic (yet holy) approach to these issues. For example, the Catholic Church forbids abortion even in the case of rape and incest; Judaism considers it on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, the Roman Catholic Church opposes all forms of artificial human conception, including test-tube fertilization, surrogate motherhood and now, human cloning. Judaism, while advocating propagation in the context of a loving, intimate relationship, nevertheless affirms the value of life through a variety of (halachically acceptable) methods and procedures. In the past decade, halacha has dealt successfully with issues of artificial insemination, invitro fertilization and surrogate motherhood. For example, the rabbis permit artificial insemination only if the sperm was from the woman's husband, in order to avoid problems relating to incest, genealogy, inheritance, and adultery. One unique dimension of this discussion is that since the cloned being has no biological father (since sperm is not part of the cloning process), this essentially erases "men" from the baby equation. (Which prompted the joke: What does Dolly the cloned sheep say when she gets up in the morning: "Where's my daddy?!") Anyway, this is a good opportunity to consider the importance of raising children in a traditional two-parent family.
On the other hand, the potential for abuse is enormous. The most frightening idea is "growing" humans in cages, in order to "harvest" their bodies for spare parts. It is not far-fetched to imagine an unscrupulous multi-millionaire cloning himself in this manner -- in case he should ever need a kidney, heart, eye, bone marrow, etc. Another potential abuse is creating a class of mindless worker-clones. This is morally (and Constitutionally) illegal - it's called "slavery." If the goal of cloning is to mold a being who mindlessly follows prescribed dictates, this is antithetical to Judaism. Our tradition encourages independent thought. In fact, the goal of a Jewish parent, teacher or rabbi is to create independence. That is why the Talmud states that parents are responsible for teaching their children how to read and write, learn Torah (gain wisdom for living), earn a livelihood, get married, and swim. There are numerous examples of parents imposing their will inappropriately on children. One is NFL quarterback Todd Marinovich. His father, a former NFL linebacker, decided from the time Todd was a baby that he would be trained and groomed for NFL stardom. Every moment of Todd's life was geared toward this goal. In one sense, his parents succeeded - and Todd landed a pro contract. But on an emotional level, Todd never met those expectations. He lost his pro contract and became caught in a myriad of personal problems including an arrest on drug charges. Immortality.To compensate for the impermanence of flesh, the Pharaohs built pyramids, the Emperors built Rome, and Donald Trump built skyscrapers. To some, cloning is a way to manufacture a living monument by leaving a genetic copy of oneself; a way to achieve "immortality" long after one is gone However, true immortality involves more than making a younger genetic copy of oneself. Are we nothing more than "flesh-and-bone computers," living to eat and propagate? No! In a "down-to-earth" sense, we achieve immortality through the performance of good deeds. By influencing others in positive Torah values, they carry on our legacy long after we're gone. If someone built a school for needy children, that would inspire others to do the same. (Besides of course the positive effects of that initial school which will be felt for generations to come.) Every human being is created in the image of G-d. Therefore G-d is our role model. As the Talmud (Shabbos 133b) says, "Just as He is Merciful, so you be merciful; and just as He is Kind, so you be kind." Becoming more G-dly is the greatest level a human being can achieve. In this way, Judaism already has a concept of cloning: we try to clone ourselves after the Al-mighty! By becoming more G-d-like and refining our souls, we also achieve immortality. As we perform mitzvahs which focus us on becoming more spiritual beings, this heightens the soul's awareness - which is invaluable for when we die and go to the eternal world of souls! Conclusion.So... is cloning good or bad? Judaism says there is nothing in the world that is inherently good or evil; there is only the potential for good and evil. Even something we typically associate as "bad" - for example, outrage - can be used for good - outrage against injustice. Similarly, even something we typically associate as "good" - for example, giving - can be used for bad - over-giving, or smothering. Talent, education and wisdom only have potential. Surveys show that the majority of people oppose human cloning because of the great likelihood of abuse. Apparently, people perceive society as essentially irresponsible and untrustworthy. Nuclear power, with all it's potential positive uses, remains a threat to all humanity. Like the Golem, it is created by human intelligence, but at the same time may have a dangerous tendency to outgrow human control and become destructive. Rabbi Moshe Tendler says that "The real problem is whenever man has shown mastery over man, it has always meant the enslavement of man." It is perhaps for this reason that President Clinton and many other nations have outlawed government spending on human cloning. It is our prayer that the world will use its powers only for purposes which are good, holy, and truly "human." Questions for discussion.
1) What do you think are the advantages of cloning? Published: Wednesday, January 12, 2000
 
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