From: Many Readers
Dear Rabbi,
What is the Jewish perspective on cloning?
Dear Readers,
Before discussing the Jewish perspective on cloning, let us give a brief explanation of what cloning is and how it is done. Cloning is the reproduction of an organism whereby all the genes of the clone are identical to the original organism. This is unlike normal male/female reproduction where the genes are a fusion of both parents. Cloning is not necessarily unnatural. Bacteria, algae and some yeasts, as well as dandelions and aspen trees reproduce by cloning. In fact, human identical twins, which originate from the division of a single fertilized egg, are genetically identical, and are another example of cloning in nature.
A breakthrough in the area of artificial or induced cloning occurred in 1996 with the introduction of “Dolly”, the first animal cloned from an adult mammal. A skin cell from one sheep, containing a nucleus with a full set of genes, was fused with an unfertilized egg of another sheep whose nucleus was removed (somewhat like a doughnut). The result: A full set of genes from sheep #1 were implanted in an egg from sheep #2 which began dividing and was placed in sheep #3. The embryo developed normally and, lo and behold, Dolly, an exact replica of sheep #1 was “born”. Amazing! (Who says counting sheep puts one to sleep?)
The fact that Dolly, a large mammal, was cloned from a fully grown adult animal raises probing and interesting questions ethically and from a Jewish perspective about the prospect of cloning which we’ll explore in a three-part series: Cloning 1 – Is it Right to Play G‑d? Cloning 2 – Does a Clone Have a Soul? Cloning 3 – Is My Clone Me, My Twin or My Child?
Regarding the question of whether man has the right to play G‑d, as in many instances of genetic engineering, some claim that it is wrong to play G‑d. The Jewish perspective, however, is that included in the idea of man being created in the image of G‑d regarding intelligence, morality and free will, is the notion that man is intended to be G‑d’s partner in Creation. To that end, G‑d intentionally left the world incomplete, as it were, in order to involve man in its betterment and refinement. Therefore sickness, poverty and other suffering need not be accepted passively. On the contrary, it is G‑d’s will that man intervene on behalf of improving the world.
From the Jewish perspective then, not only is it not wrong to play G‑d, but we are actually supposed to play G‑d to the extent that doing so will benefit and improve the world and humanity.
As a result, Judaism doesn’t condemn technological advance on the mere basis of its being new or invasive per se; rather Judaism judges on the basis of whether it is beneficial and therefore should be utilized to improve the world, or whether it is harmful, thereby indicating G‑d’s will that it not be utilized. Given man’s license as partner with G‑d to create and innovate, if human cloning ever occurs, the highest rabbinical authorities will have to examine the benefits and detriments of cloning to determine whether it could be acceptable either ethically or according to Jewish Law.
Other parts in this series:
Cloning 2 – Does a Clone Have a Soul?
Cloning 3 – Is My Clone Me, My Twin or My Child?
