Copyright. Een Bio-ethisch Essay.

Co-authored with Johan Braeckman

Although Dolly was born into the world as innocent as a lamb, she has caused a great uproar. Fear, aversion, and even anger dominate the cloning debate. Will irresponsible scientists start cloning people soon, as well? Might dictators go to war using an army of clones? Are our descendents going to be as intelligent as Einstein? Can we bring the dead back to life by cloning their DNA? Could our grandchildren live to be over one hundred years old thanks to modern biotechnology? Various answers are given to these and other questions in the popular media. The authors of Copyright argue that there is a need for an educated debate that is held without evoking panic, but also without arousing exaggerated expectations. They first provide an overview of the most contemporary biotechnological developments. On the one hand, it is apparent that biotechnology is the next step in the controlling and cultivating of nature by mankind, a process that was started many thousands of years ago. On the other hand, biotechnology also offers possibilities, both in the medical and the agricultural fields, that were unheard of before. Using many examples, the authors explain how biotechnology can be approached from an ethical perspective. They then focus on the discussion that emerged after the birth of Dolly, the first mammal that came about through somatic nuclear cell transplantation. The technical and scientific aspects of cloning are explained in clear language. Devolder and Braeckman focus on the question of whether 'human cloning' is ethically acceptable. In contrast to many other authors, their answer is not categorically critical. They analyse and discuss the main counterarguments using data from various scientific disciplines. These counterarguments include problems surrounding personal identity, human autonomy and dignity, the question of what is natural and unnatural, the difference between planned and coincidental reproduction, etc. The authors also discuss at length the cultural and historical aspects that give rise to the debate over cloning.
The conclusion of their analysis is that there is currently only one legitimate argument for banning the cloning of genetic material to create an individual, that is, that technology is not yet ready and is therefore too risky to be applied. Perhaps this will be solved at some point in the future. Should this become the case, cloning, then, might offer possible solutions for a number of human problems especially with regard to infertility. The authors do not shy away from controversial issues in their analysis of the pro and counterarguments on the issue of cloning. They address the problems of eugenics, so-called therapeutic cloning, research on embryos, and other issues. The book offers a sampling of the most important bioethical debates and takes a clear stand on the most-often discussed scientific and technological breakthroughs of the last several decades.