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Human Cloning and Moral Status Christopher Alexander Pynes Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2003 Human Cloning and Moral Status Christopher Alexander Pynes Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES HUMAN CLONING AND MORAL STATUS By CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER PYNES A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Philosophy in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2003 Copyright © 2003 Christopher Alexander Pynes All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the dissertation of Christopher Alexander Pynes defended on 19 June 2003. Michael Ruse Professor Directing Dissertation Michael Meredith Outside Committee Member Peter Dalton Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. To my mother, and for all mothers: past, present, and future. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance of Professors Michael Ruse and Peter Dalton. Michael showed me that getting something written is more important than writing something perfectly; the former is necessary for the latter. Peter Dalton is an exceptional philosopher, and thanks to his guidance I made it through my first few years of graduate school at Florida State. This dissertation has been improved greatly thanks to his thorough comments; I cannot thank him enough, however, the mistakes that remain are all mine. Many people sacrificed so that I could write and finish this dissertation, none more than Darlene Deas. Her loving support throughout the entire dissertation writing process has been nothing less than heroic. It is a wonderful thing to have a new birthday, and 19 June 2003 will always be a special day for us both. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract........................................................................................................................ vii INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 Participants In The Human Cloning Debate .................................................... 5 Chapter Summaries .......................................................................................... 13 1. THE HISTORY AND BIOLOGICAL FACTS OF CLONING.............................. 16 Introduction...................................................................................................... 16 In The Beginning ............................................................................................. 17 Naïve Cloning .................................................................................................. 21 Toward A Cloning Definition.......................................................................... 26 Classifying The Cloning Issues........................................................................ 36 What Is The Problem With Human Cloning?.................................................. 46 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 52 2. PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENTS AND HUMAN CLONING............................ 53 Introduction...................................................................................................... 53 Consequentialism............................................................................................. 57 Consequentialist Arguments Against Human Cloning .................................... 64 Non-Identity, Wrongful Life, And The Parfit Problem ................................... 82 Deontology....................................................................................................... 90 Categorical Imperative Objections To Human Cloning .................................. 96 Virtue Theory................................................................................................... 102 Virtue Argument And Human Cloning............................................................ 109 Philosophical Arguments Conclusion.............................................................. 114 3. RELIGIOUS ARGUMENTS AND HUMAN CLONING...................................... 116 Introduction...................................................................................................... 116 Dominant Religious Traditions........................................................................ 127 Religious Arguments Against Human Cloning ............................................... 156 Leon Kass’s “Wisdom Of Repugnance”.......................................................... 164 Religious Arguments Conclusions................................................................... 172 v 4. LEGAL ARGUMENTS, PUBLIC POLICY, AND HUMAN CLONING ............. 173 Introduction...................................................................................................... 173 The US Constitution And Research Cloning ................................................... 175 The Limits Of Roe v Wade For Cloning Analysis ........................................... 179 The US Constitution And Reproductive Cloning ............................................ 186 Pynes’s Defense Of Cloning Using Griswold v. Connecticut ......................... 191 Public Policy And Human Cloning.................................................................. 202 Legal Arguments Conclusion........................................................................... 206 5. MORAL STATUS AND A DEFENSE OF HUMAN CLONING.......................... 208 Introduction...................................................................................................... 208 Moral Status And The Cloning Debate............................................................ 209 Potentiality Arguments .................................................................................... 211 Three Single Conditions For Moral Status ...................................................... 220 Mary Anne Warren’s Multi-Criterial Definition Of Moral Status................... 239 Pynes’s Moral Status Definiton ....................................................................... 249 Moral Status Conclusion.................................................................................. 256 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................ 258 Focusing The Debate And Future Public Policy.............................................. 258 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................ 260 Articles............................................................................................................. 260 Books ............................................................................................................... 266 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ....................................................................................... 271 vi ABSTRACT The participants in the human cloning debate are as varied as the interests they support: Catholic priests, agnostic biologists, atheistic philosophers, and political leaders have all spoken out since the announcement of Dolly the cloned sheep's birth in February 1997. Currently, many of the participants are talking about different issues, working with different philosophical assumptions, relying on false or misunderstood data, and generally talking past one another. For example, how does the opponent of human cloning who is concerned with issues like “playing God,” human dignity, or moral repugnance converse with a proponent who believes cloning is really about the reproductive rights of individuals? In this dissertation I take on the task of reconstructing and evaluating the arguments for and against human cloning, and finally argue that the disagreement is really about how to define “moral status.” I then provide a definition of moral status that would enable for public discourse on this topic to move in a direction that allows for responsible public policy making in the area of biomedical research. Chapter I deals with clarifying the biological and scientific facts relevant to the human cloning debate. I begin with an introduction about the nature of biological advancement with DNA and trace the biological and philosophical breakthroughs that have given rise to the current technology, which allows for Nuclear Somatic Cell Transplantation, the method developed by Ian Wilmut and his team to create Dolly. I then describe the different meanings that cloning can have in the biological sense. Concluding the chapter I argue for a definition of cloning that is topic neutral with respect to scientific methods and ethical theories. Chapter II evaluates the common moral theories that are used in philosophical arguments against human cloning: Consequentialism (Utilitarianism), Deontology (Kantianism), and Virtue Theory (Aristotelianism). The popular opinion is that vii deontologists would be against human cloning, consequentialists would be for human cloning, and virtue theory would be uninformative in the debate. What I show is that contrary to the popular opinion there are opponents and proponents in each of these moral camps, presenting arguments for and against human cloning. Their arguments are not limited to just the common "means as end" and "harm" debates, but include issues of right, non-identity, and moral status.
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