Cloning and Stem Cell Research

Ethical Viewpoints

Soraj HongladaromCenter for Ethics of Science and Technology

Chulalongkorn University

Viewpoints

Reproductive cloning Therapeutic cloning Thailand’s position

Reproductive cloning

Is it ethical to reproduce another human being asexually? What is the purpose of sexual

reproduction? Parthenogenesis Cloning

What does it mean to be a human being?

Therapeutic cloning

This is where the most controversies lie. Is it ethical to ‘use’ what is potentially

another human being as tissues to help treat another one?

Key point: what exactly is a potential human being?

Three types of countries

Key groups

Problems

Is there a way to demarcate what is no more than a collection of tissues and a human embryo? If cloned embryos at early stage could be used,

then what about those at a later stage? Perhaps even a fetus? A baby?

What about remaining embryos from fertility labs? Big problem: Who decides who lives and who

dies?

Julian Savulescu

There is no essential difference between a group of cells on my skin and a group of cells that will be cultured into stem cells.

In theory, any type of cells can be grown into a new, complete organism.

What is unique about humans?

On the one hand, human beings are nothing more than a collection of cells.

But on the other, human beings comprise societies, with laws and histories and traditions.

The use of stem cells point to this ambivalence.

What should we do?

Complete ban is out of the question. But complete freedom is not acceptable

either. Alternatives should be found that do not

destroy embryos. Adult stem cells

More studies and discussions.