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Cloning: Animal

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Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics

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Abstract

Technological developments in the field of bioengineering have allowed for the successful cloning of organisms. Cloning is no longer only the subject of science fiction because animal cloning has already been realized, paving the way for the possibility of human cloning. Although Dolly the sheep is the most famous attempt to clone an animal, it was neither the first nor the last organism that has been cloned, and inasmuch as animal cloning may represent scientific and technological progress, and hold benefits, it raises ethical issues.

Part I of this chapter describes the terms “cloning” and “clone” and distinguishes different types of cloning. The different methods used to clone animals are also described.

Part II reviews the development of animal cloning science and gives an overview of events pivotal to the development of animal cloning and its potential applications and purposes.

Part III considers the ethical concerns surrounding animal cloning. Objections to animal cloning are reviewed and the merits of anti-cloning arguments evaluated. Some arguments that can be made against animal cloning can be easily refuted, while other arguments constitute serious objections to cloning that require public consideration and debate.

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  • Fox, M. W. (1999). Beyond evolution: The genetically altered future of plants, animals, the earth, and humans. New York: The Lyons Press.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Jillian Gardner

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  1. Jillian Gardner
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Correspondence to Jillian Gardner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Duquesne University Center for Healthcare Ethics, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Henk ten Have

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Gardner, J. (2014). Cloning: Animal. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_94-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_94-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-05544-2

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