Are there any degrees of how unethical is cloning?

[sidetrack]

Recently I read a book about molecular biology.I’m not exactly sure I remeber what is it that I read and/or if it’s possible but there was some stuff in it about cloning protein i think.How unethical is it to clone something like proteins,some bacteria and even some plants.It’s not as bad as say cloning sheep and humans is it?.Just to say hopefully I will soon enter a biotechnology technician program at a community college.Personally I dont even if I did get a biotechnology related job it is unlikely that I would do anything clone related because that seems like uncommon,high end and very specialized stuff to me.I am asking this to make sure that when I try to get a job related to this field I can still be a good Catholic.Thank you very much so for your answrs and God bless.

 

[mkinson]

If you believe in a God that created us with the intellect to improve ourselves, giving us the thirst for knowledge and empowering us with the ability to do so, then wouldn’t we be following Gods will by using that technology?

In the first Kings of the Old Testament God made Solomon a wise man and encouraged him to teach others.

1 Kings 4:29 - 4:31 “And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men.”

1 Kings 4:33 - 4:34 “…he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of the fish. And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.”

 

[1ke]

It is immoral to attempt to clone people. It is not immoral to clone plants and animals.

 

[kbwall]

As far I know, cloning is just fine as long as you aren’t cloning humans.

 

[1ke]

Cloning human proteins, etc, looking for cures for diseases and doing research, is morally acceptable.

The morality of such research would be provided that the cloning came from adult cells, not from embryos-- nothing along the lines of embryonic cell research is morally acceptable, nor would fetal tissue research on aborted fetuses be moral.

 

[Newbie2]

Cloning human proteins, etc, looking for cures for diseases and doing research, is morally acceptable.

The morality of such research would be provided that the cloning came from adult cells, not from embryos-- nothing along the lines of embryonic cell research is morally acceptable,** nor would fetal tissue research on aborted fetuses be moral**.

I agree, but I think that needs a little clarification. Fetal tissue research on spontaneously aborted fetuses is morally permissible, with the permission of the parents of course. Of course, it would seem that spontaneously aborted fetuses would not be as suitable (medically speaking, not morally) for tissue research as the fetus would likely be dead or its tissues be severely compromised compared to “fresh”, purposefully aborted fetal tissue…as cold and heatless as that sounds.

 

[mkinson]

Let me point out there there is no reference in the Bible indicating that it is immoral to research, nor to use human subjects, nor does it condone the use of medicine.

In fact, in Proverbs and many other books of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, there are references to medicine. Keep in mind that when the stories of the Bible were taking place the technology did not allow beyond the use of simple plants, but research had to go into those studies.

In addition, slavery is rampant throughout the Bible which would suggest that the use of humans for labor is acceptable (in this case volunteered parts of humans for experimentation).

Thirdly, I personally dont feel that the story of Babel instructs that God is against technology; I think that in the book God saw that if humanity continued working together without strife there was nothing that we couldnt do and so, before we became too arrogant, God confounded us so that we may have more time to progress individually.

 

[Newbie2]

Let me point out there there is no reference in the Bible indicating that it is immoral to research, nor to use human subjects, nor does it condone the use of medicine.

In fact, in Proverbs and many other books of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, there are references to medicine. Keep in mind that when the stories of the Bible were taking place the technology did not allow beyond the use of simple plants, but research had to go into those studies.

In addition, slavery is rampant throughout the Bible which would suggest that the use of humans for labor is acceptable (in this case volunteered parts of humans for experimentation).

Thirdly, I personally dont feel that the story of Babel instructs that God is against technology; I think that in the book God saw that if humanity continued working together without strife there was nothing that we couldnt do and so, before we became too arrogant, God confounded us so that we may have more time to progress individually.

That would all be interesting if we Catholics took Scripture as the sole source of moral guidelines.