Megan Best

According to Megan Best in the following viewpoint, all human cloning is unethical. While there is widespread agreement that human reproductive cloning, in which replicas of whole organisms are made, should be banned, less debate surrounds therapeutic cloning, used to create healthy cells to replace damaged ones in sick people, she argues. Because patients’ bodies will reject incompatible stem cells, claims Best, researchers will inevitably have to create embryonic clones of patients. These clones, she argues, will be killed when their cells are harvested for injection into the patient, which is unethical. It is always wrong to sacrifice one life for the benefit of another, she contends. Best is a medical doctor, bioethicist, and member of the Social Issues Executive of the Anglican Media of Sydney, Australia.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Best’s...