Back
to those Dark Ages?
By: Vinod
Scaria
E-mail: vinodscaria@yahoo.co.in
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The breaking
news that Advanced cell technologies (ACT), Massachusetts, USA
has cloned the first Human embryo, once again brings to the
limelight, the age-old controversy on human cloning. Ever since
the report that the first higher animal (a sheep) had been
cloned by a team of scientists led by Ian Wilmut of Roslin
Institute, everyone had been waiting for this day, when the ‘shepherd’
would be cloned.
Major countries viewed this news with rather
apprehension. Many of the world
powers lost no time in slapping bans on this new technique, and
some went even further – by completely denouncing the
technology. That is where the question arises- would a complete
ban on technology serve its purpose?
For one
single reason, I would find the ban would not work-for not all
countries have imposed bans on this technology. (Free and
secular countries like India are still going on with researches
on Human embryos and it has made it clear that it would pursue
research in this field for the Human well being.) Anyone who
finds it difficult to pursue his studies in one country would
simply move to another one –and that too, perhaps out of the
reach of ethical, moral and legal constraints.
Secondly, a premature and complete ban would imply that
there is no more room for constructive discussion. Human cloning
is a reality we ought to encounter. It is a technology that has
the potential to radically change our lives (similar to the way
in-vitro fertilization changed our ways of reproduction). Sure,
nobody wants to overlook the demerits. That is just the other
side of the coin. The need of the hour is to sit down and bring
out a set of ethical guidelines.
Thirdly, no ban of any kind, on any technology has been
able to serve its purpose.
With motivated people working
to realise their dreams of a new life,
I do not think anyone could uproot the technology en masse.
Somewhere, someone would at last do it, and when man sees what
he can do, he would just cope up with the reality.
The formulation of ethical, moral and legal guidelines
are far tedious than said. This needs laborious programmes to
take into confidence the masses. The discussions should start
from the grass root level-the laymen; and then taken up in
larger spheres. There is no time to be idled out since this
technology is a sensitive one easy to get out of control in the
present scenario .
…
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