Policymakers and advisory bodies worldwide do not support the use of the cloning- technology to get children, or, in more technical terms, they are against the use of "human reproductive cloning". They are even convinced that this technology is so dangerous or morally wrong, that it should be banned for ever or at least banned for the time being.
Policy makers and advisory bodies also banned technologies to change "the hereditary characteristics" of the future generations, even when applied with the intention to correct defective genes and in this way to prevent genetic disorders. In more technical terms, they are against "Human Germline Gene Therapy". Here too, they are convinced that such technologies are so dangerous or morally wrong that they should not be allowed, at least not in the current situation.
While the political situation appears to be clear -- there is a wide endorsement for the ban -- the justification of the ban is less clear. Many arguments are put forward to endorse such ban. Other arguments suggest that imposing a ban is not an adequate response because it is "too strong" and blocks the good aspects of technology as well as the bad aspects. Still other arguments indicate that a ban is "too weak" because it does not prepare society for the future that will come anyway and it cannot prevent science from developing other technologies that will offer society the same possibilities as the technologies that were banned.
Rolando Melony
Gene Therapy in 2025
Ongoing.
