During the semester we feature a technology with legal, social, and ethical implications and ask: What’s your answer? One $25 gift card to City Central Coffee, located on the 6th floor of the Beus Center for Law and Society, will be awarded based on the thoughtful comments below. Deadline to be eligible for this month’s gift card is April 13, 2018.
Pets are our best friends and cherished members of our families. Losing them is hard. But what if you didn’t have to? What if you could clone little Fiddo and keep him in the family?
Ordering up a Fiddo 2.0 is possible today, assuming you have the money (about $50,000). Barbra Streisand has two clones of her late dog Sammie. “Every time I look at their faces, I think of my Samantha…and smile,” writes Streisand in The New York Times.
Animal cloning is nothing new. Dolly the sheep, the first animal cloned from adult cells, was born in 1996. In 2008, the FDA completed a risk assessment on animal cloning for commercial purposes and found that products from cloned cows, pigs, and goats are safe for consumption. But not everyone sees pet cloning as a good idea, and the practice may raise animal welfare issues.
What are the ethical and legal considerations for cloning pets? What are the risks and benefits? What regulations exist, or should exist, around the practice of pet cloning?
What do you think? Put your answer in the comments for a chance to win. Be thorough and cite your sources. We’re excited to read your thoughts!