Research in the field of human cloning must be approached from several different points of view, says molecular biologist Frank Portugal. Details...
Portugal addressed the ethical, moral and political considerations of human cloning during a presentation Tuesday, Nov. 14 in McCrary Theatre.
Human cloning is a new and complex field of scientific study which carries great promise and pitfalls simultaneously, says Portugal. “Human cloning is a complex issue, and like a diamond, it has many facets,” says Portugal.
Barely 20 years old, the field of cloning received widespread attention in 1996 with the successful cloning of sheep. But Portugal believes cloning of humans will prove to be a far more daunting task.
“Cloning of primates has not been successful to date,” says Portugal, “and this indicates that human cloning will be difficult.”
Portugal noted the promise that human cloning could hold for the future. It could provide a viable alternative for infertile couples to have a child, or replacing a child who dies at an early age.
But cloning could be used in ways that modern society would probably consider unethical, says Portugal, using the cleanup of toxic waste dumps as an example. “We can’t send humans in right now to do that job; it’s too dangerous. But with cloning, it might be possible to create a lower form of human to do it, which would have all the thought processes and manual dexterity of a regular human, but would be considered expendable. These are the types of questions we must address,” says Portugal.
A consensus on the direction cloning should take will be difficult, Portugal admits. “Religious leaders are divided on this issue. Political leaders are divided. Beyond the raw science, there are fundamental considerations-ethical, moral, societal and political-which will always be a part of this debate.”
Portugal is president of Opto-Gene, Inc., a biotechnology company. He has been associated with the National Institutes of Health, the Carnegie Institute of Washington and the National Academy of Sciences.
His lecture was part of the Voices of Discovery speaker series, sponsored by the departments of Science and Mathematics.