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To: dogbyte12
My big concern is the cost in terms of life. Dolly wasn't the first attempt. It took many miscarriages, and abortions due to deformities to produce Dolly. I would want to know where these people did their work, and how many implantations it took to produce this child.

If this story is true, I worry about the future health of the little girl. According to the articles I've read, the cloning process doesn't fully restore the potency of the genes, leaving the clone with "old genes". We have all the genes we had starting with conception but they aren't all turned on anymore (eg. those that control development of our heart, arms, legs, etc.). The cloning process has to reset the clocks on all these genes. If a clone has been successfully delivered it means that the vast majority of the genes were reset.

Now the worry is that little sections of the baby's genes may have problems. Lot's of serious diseases are the result of microdeletions in the genetic code. Most of these cause problems in the most complex part of our bodies, our brains, resulting in mental retardation.

I really fear for this little girl's future. She isn't a lab animal that can be euthanized if problems arise. We are obliged to care for her just like any other person.

65 posted on 12/26/2002 6:40:26 PM PST by mikegi
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To: mikegi
Significant moral and ethical issues arise regarding the origin of life.

Theologically, there are significant doctrinal issues regarding the spirit. Some hold that the body, soul and spirit become life upon conception. Others hold that the bodily life might begin either at conception or by the first trimester. Some hold the spirit is created by God immediately upon the birth and removal of the baby from the womb.

Here is a hypothetical stressing the importance of the issues.

If the spirit is a discernible feature of man from other creatures and is given or created and instilled in the human upon physical birth and if that gift is not mechanically undeerstood by man, then the cloning of the human body might result in a receptacle capable of receiving a spirit, but perhaps not granted by God as it is not a natural birth.

This would result in a new race of beings, persons, lacking spirit, without opportunity for salvation, yet as an automaton, a mimicry of man.

The laws and institutions of human domain might not be approprately attributed to the domain of the clone. Worse, disembodied spirits might have access to the same clone which without previous spirit, could become host to something ungodly.

Considering the things of the spirit which God has provided to man according to His plan are also considered foolishness to those who do not believe, then this mechanism will present some doctrinally challenging scenarios. Mechanically and spiritually if not by His plan, some even more heinous waters might be unleashed. IMHO, this isn't just a lab experiment with some possible humanistic repurcussions, but might be a much more pregnant problem.

78 posted on 12/26/2002 6:55:28 PM PST by Cvengr
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To: mikegi
".......we are obliged to care for Her......" "WE??" Since When??? Doc
83 posted on 12/26/2002 7:01:17 PM PST by Doc On The Bay
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