Cloning Scare
By SCOTT T. HARDS
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クローンの恐怖
先日、イギリスの科学者が羊のクローニングに成功し、世界に衝撃を与えた。成長したほ乳動物の体細胞から全く同一の生物を複製した例はこれまでになかったからだ。「このまま技術が進歩すればクローン人間も作れるのではないか」「いや、それは神への冒とくだ」と、議論はつきないが…。
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The press all over the world
heavily covered the announcement a few weeks ago that for the first time
ever, a group of scientists had successfully cloned an adult mammal ― a sheep
named "Dolly." The news was followed quickly by editorials questioning
whether science had "gone too far," and cautioning
that people shouldn't "play God." President Bill
Clinton even announced that the U.S. government would not fund any experiment
in human cloning.
So what is it about cloning,
particularly human cloning, that's got so many people
uptight? Is the prospect of genetically
identical people running around so horrifying?
Tell that to a pair of identical twins ―
I'm sure they'll have a different perspective on the situation!
I think part of the uproar over cloning is that many people simply don't
understand what it is. They seem to have it confused with genetic
alteration, another technology that's creating a
stir. For example, after the Dolly announcement, a poll was taken in the U.S. asking people if they would
eat the meat of a cloned cow. Seventy percent said no. Of course, a cloned cow would
simply be a exact copy of an otherwise healthy cow, so there would be no reason
whatsoever to worry about the safety of its meat, unlike that of a genetically altered
cow.
In addition, there appears to be confusion in
some people's minds about the relationship between genetics and personality. Some of the sensational stories that appeared in the media talked
about scenarios in which people would clone evil dictators like Hitler, or great athletes like Michael Jordan. It's important to remember
that even though this will no doubt be possible in a
few years' time, there's no guarantee that a clone of
Michael Jordan would even be interested in basketball! You only have to look at identical
twins to see that two very different personalities can emerge from exactly the same genetics, especially when
the two children are raised apart.
When you get right down to it, the ultimate question surrounding human cloning is "why bother?" I find it very hard to think of a
situation in which cloning a person would have any
value, or solve any problem that cannot already be
solved by other means. So is all this hand-wringing and instant rule-making really necessary? On the other hand, I think cloning of plants and animals
will prove to be an incredibly valuable technology in the years to come,
particularly in the production of food and medicines. It would be foolish at this stage to let groundless fears about the technique prevent scientists from using it to better our lives.
Shukan ST: April 11, 1997
(C) All rights reserved
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