National Bioethics Advisory Commission

About the author: The National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) was established in 1995 to provide expert counsel to the president of the United States on bioethics issues. The panel was assigned to review and report on the ethical implications of human cloning in 1997. NBAC solicited testimony and information from religious leaders and theologians for the report's section on religious views on cloning.

Religious thinkers have been debating the morality of cloning for decades. A survey of theologians and religious leaders reveals a diverse spectrum of opinion on whether humans should be cloned. For some, religious beliefs provide a clear warning that cloning violates human dignity and is a form of "playing God." Others contend that more reflection is needed to determine whether cloning may be ethically acceptable in some cases.

It is possible...