Cloning pets (and other animals) is now a possibility with new technologies. Companies have sprung up who market this technology to consumers, including pet owners. But whether this technology takes off or not, it raises a number of ethical questions. Should we be cloning pets at all, given that the cloned animal, while a genetic twin, will not likely have the same personality traits as the original animal? Should we be cloning pets when millions of animals are surrendered to, and many euthanized, at shelters? Will this be a province only of the rich? What real benefits does this technology offer, and should it be developed at the expense of other more pressing medical concerns, even within the animal community? Are people properly educated about what cloning actually means, with regard to their desired end? This paper will present the facts about animal cloning as they currently exist, as well as the pros (if any) and cons of this practice.
About the presenterDonna Yarri
Professor of Theology