Lang, R. (1997, July-August). Statement on human cloning. Light. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Copyright 1998.

OVERVIEW

The Center for Youth Studies is pleased to have the following article review offered by a high school student. We believe that insight from young people themselves is important for today's youth workers.

The recent successful cloning of a sheep and a rhesus monkey is astonishing people worldwide. The significant advances that have been made in science over the past years are indeed striking. With these advancements, inevitably, the possibility ensues of cloning a human being. However, this possibility has been met with tremendous opposition from millions of people, particularly Christians. Most Christians believe that it is immoral to clone a human and, that as children of God, humans have no right to act like Him. With the possibility of human cloning drawing near, United States President Bill Clinton declared a ban on using federal funds for human cloning, and he later stated that any private research on the subject should be halted. His reason? " 'Any discovery that touches upon human creation is not simply a matter of scientific inquiry. It is a matter of morality and spirituality as well.' "

In a recent poll taken on Nightline (1997, February 24), 87% of Americans asserted that cloning human beings should be outlawed. The Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, on March 6, 1997, voted against human cloning and called for all nations to prevent it from occurring. They included ethical safeguards: that no human ever be cloned and that no one own a patent on human organs, tissues, cells, or genes.

The following resource was also used for this article review: (1998, March 2). Time, 151(8), 65.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Why are people opposed to cloning humans?
2. Is there anywhere in scripture that states that cloning another human being is immoral?
3. Would cloning, in your opinion, benefit or hinder society today? Explain.
4. What is your stand on other types of cloning? Why?

IMPLICATIONS

1. To most, cloning is viewed as an immoral practice that should not be allowed anywhere in the world. Christians view cloning as a sin and something that is done against the will of God.
2. The Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is wholeheartedly against cloning. Many other groups across the U.S. and the world protest cloning. By uniting against one cause, cloning can be banned.
3. There may be justifiable reasons to have cloning technology available. These justifications demand moral, ethical consideration.