The Case of the
Cloned Cats
Genetic Savings
and Clone, Inc., is a private company that describes itself as "the
world's leader in the cloning of exceptional pets." Genetic
Savings and Clone (GSC) funded research at Texas A&M University that
led to the 2002 birth of the world's first cloned cat, a healthy kitten named
CC (as in "CopyCat"). GSC is now offering cat cloning services
to the public on a limited basis. In May 2004, GSC plans to begin
cloning nine cats, with the resulting kittens delivered to their clients
by November 2004. (Three of the cats to be cloned belong to GSC
employees.)
Some
people think this is a great service to offer, while others are not so
sure. What do you think? Here are some questions to think
about, and some more information to help you decide your own opinion
about cat cloning:
1. What would you need to do in order to
get your cat cloned? How much does it cost? Why is it so
expensive?
2. Why do some people want to clone their cats? Are some reasons
for cloning cats better than others? Why or why not?
3. How does cloning work?
4. Why doesn't CC look like her genetic donor, Rainbow? [Play
"Find the Clone"!]
5. Can cloning cats help people or animals
in any way? If so, how? Are these benefits expected from
commercial cat cloning?
6. Can cloning cats harm people or animals in any way? If so, how?
7. Why do some people think that commercial cat cloning is
unethical? What do you think of their arguments?
8. What responses can you think of to claims that cat cloning is
unethical? Are these responses convincing? Why or why not?
9. In your own opinion, is it ethical to clone cats? Why or why
not?
Here are some
links to further information to help you answer these questions: