Cloning scientist discusses ethics

Cloning is a technology that should be studied aggressively but applied cautiously, said the pioneer who helped create the first clone of an adult animal to a packed Eisenhower Auditorium yesterday.

The ethical dilemmas which the new technology raises are similar to those that have been raised since the beginning of civilization, said Scottish scientist Dr. Ian Wilmut. Since the first weapon was created, he said people have lived with technologies that have the potential to either benefit or hurt mankind.

Wilmut, who spoke as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, delivered a down-to-earth and humorous speech which described his team's cloning procedure, explained some of its applications, and described unethical ways in which human cloning could be used.

"I haven't heard of any reason for cloning humans which would be ethically acceptable," Wilmut said. While he is not afraid of what might happen, he said the possibilities discussed are disturbing and would not be beneficial to the child cloned.

Wilmut said cloning humans using the process his team pioneered would be unethical because the survival rate is low, with about half the fetuses being aborted in past experiments.

But nobody knows which of the possibilities discussed will become reality. Some people may want to use cloning technology to give tissue to ill patients, he said, others to bring back lost relatives, and still others to create a race of genetically "superior" people.

"We're terrible at predicting the future of science, and even worse at predicting its applications," he said. Grand schemes to create super races are unlikely to ever happen, he said, but dilemmas will inevitably come up on a smaller scale.

Wilmut's speech, which was followed by a question and answer session, impressed some students with its sensitivity to issues his technology may raise.

"I was surprised at how cautious he is at the idea of cloning," said Julie Wuerstle (senior-animal science).

Alexis Pachkevitch (graduate-polymer science) said that people need to take time to examine what they are doing before science forges ahead.

"He showed how scientific issues never belong to anybody," he said.

Wilmut's lecture was peppered with not quite lighthearted humor about the possibilities of cloning.

"My wife has to live with me, and to have a little copy of me?" He paused and added, "Enough said."

The relationship of a cloned child to the parent who he or she was cloned from would also be troublesome, he said. The parent would see a copy of himself or herself as a child, and the child would see what he or she would look like in the future.

But, he added, the personality of a clone would probably not be very similar to the person he or she was cloned from. Thus, it would be impossible to clone someone with a specific personality.

"A copy of Mother Theresa might not have wanted to be a nun," he said.

Despite the dilemmas associated with the technology, Christie Majoris (senior-microbiology) was impressed with the accomplishments of Wilmut and his team.

"This is the biggest discovery since DNA," she said. "I think this guy's gonna win the Nobel Prize."