Australia is the first country to allow a domestic firm (Sydney IVF) to legally clone embryos. This process uses in vitro fertilization, extracting embryonic stem cells from the pre-fetus blastocysts. In this brave new world we’re living in, disorders like Huntington’s Disease and muscular dystrophy may one day be cured by creating custom body tissue and disease-free cells to implant into patients.
We have waited a long time for a government to take this risk. Introducing cloning in a controlled manner will hopefully minimize public outcry and temper the demands of the religious right. Australia has made it clear that the technology will not be abused—there’s no risk of any cloned embryos developing into fetuses (the process is halted before the zygote resembles a human). All animals look similar during the first few weeks of pregnancy: a great mass of rapidly expanding cells. By ensuring that there is no developing fetus, Sydney IVF violates few ethical boundaries. Any eggs used will either be immature or unfertilized, and obtained with full consent of the donor.
In terms of scientific achievement, Canadians are at a crossroads. If we embrace the good that will come from the proliferation of stem cell extraction and embryonic cloning, we’ll challenge a widespread myopic view on ethics and human rights. The technology is still in its infancy, so there is little opportunity for abuse. Once it matures, the realization that stem cells can cure diseases will grow. We can continue devoting millions of dollars to raising money for a multitude of diseases, but we must acknowledge that we are sitting on a potential goldmine. The only thing keeping us from utilizing this resource is the limited scope of our own understanding.
Humans will not be cloned. At no point in the near future will we be able to ask our GP to give our son or daughter blue eyes or a high IQ. These advances are too distant to pose an ethical problem. We need to legalize embryonic cloning so that we can fight disease and begin to embrace a future where life-saving knowledge is not limited.
Western society must surrender its perverted concept of what constitutes a life. Sydney IVF is not killing babies—it’s helping to prevent diseases for children in the future. It’s taking a hitherto speculative science and making it a reality, thereby bringing it to a level where it may affect common people. If Canada and the United States follow suit, your next charity run may be for an actual cure.
