Human Cloning and Single Parenting

Making the decision to have a child is a very big step in a person's life. Traditionally this choice is made by two people - a man and a woman, comprising a traditional couple. But, although the large majority of couples continue to be composed of two individuals of the opposite sex, the numbers of same-sex couples are increasing. Regardless, when two women or two men make the choice to have a child, utilizing sexual reproduction with a volunteer partner or using assisted reproductive techniques with donated sperm or a donated egg, the circumstances involve the traditional number of two people.

Human cloning (HC), in marked contrast, would represent a radical departure from family dynamics that have been in place for many thousands of years. HC technology would permit individuals to have children, an option that need to be carefully considered by society before we permit such methods to become available.

An individual might want to have a child via HC for altruistic or selfish reasons. She may not wish to engage in the perceived entanglements of a long-term or lifelong adult relationship, and yet very much wishes to raise a child. He may already have children with an ex-wife, for example, and now believes he can raise a child more effectively on his own. There are many variations of these themes.

In contrast, a person may think highly of himself and desire to bring another person exactly like himself into the world. He may believe the clone will be a perfect business partner, perfect traveling companion, or perfect intellectual sounding board. The person believes that the clone, being a genetic replica, will also develop many or most of the personal characteristics and qualities the person finds so attractive and appealing in herself. Of course, identical genomes do not imply identical personalities, but the availability of HC methods may entice people to have a child and take their chances.

Also, people may want to clone themselves in attempts to fulfill ambitions and other cherished goals. A woman may have been a local figure skating champion but failed on a larger stage. She had a serious injury, didn't have sufficient financial resources to follow her dream, or believed she was slighted by the judges. Now, later in life, she has the opportunity and the means to clone herself. She believes she will "raise my child right" and make sure her daughter reaches the very pinnacle of international figure skating.

Selfish motives and motives for personal gain may figure in many cases of human cloning. But traditional parents commonly impose their selfish desires on their children. Frustrated football players, singer, entrepreneurs, and many others all desperately try to force their children to succeed in areas in which the parents failed. Thus, less-than-altruistic personal motivation is not unique to those who wish to have a child who is a clone. Human cloning cannot be banned on this basis.

David Lemberg, M.S. in Bioethics, Albany Medical College, May 2010
Consultant, Author, Speaker. Research interests - health care and health care policy, reproductive technologies, genetics and genomics, K-12 science education
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