Cloning issue opens debate on morality
by Nick Nance, Managing Editor

    Imagine the year is 2042 and the world has been involved in cloning for 40 years.

    Early in the 21st century, societies accepted the idea that royalty would keep their genes within the family. It was common for brothers and sisters to have children.

    However, the idea evolved with science and society. Now we are a world population of almost three billion individuals cloned from deceased humans.

    Consider this scenario, in the United States a demonic, war-mongering tyrant is about to take over the presidency. Some theologians have called him the anti-Christ.

    The inauguration will mark the first time a clone has been elected president and the first time a former president has been cloned.

    This clone is dedicated to the one who approved the original funding for cloning research. Also, he is named after that same man.

    George "Mack Daddy" Bush is what he is known by. Throughout time, it has become quite common for the personality of clones to be much different from the original.

    Nothing could be more accurate in this situation. Bush was born from the DNA of George W. Bush and the mother of George Clinton, the singer.

    No one knew at the time what a combination of the two would create. Now the world faces a drastic challenge to overcome the situation that mankind has created.

    Cloning isn't that scary, yet. There is no way the human race, or a select few, can play the role of a creator.

    Researchers claim that with cloned humans, the stem cells of those embryos could be used to cure ailments from paralysis, diabetes, arthritis and hundreds of more genetically linked ailments.

    I agree with some of these claims. However, should one life be harmed to save thousands?

    I think there is too much room for human error in such a tricky situation.

    What happens when these clones become adults and do not wish to be part of the experiment anymore? Do we disregard their right as a living human and continue with the research? There are more questions than answers.

    I do not see any path for cloning to continue until there are more answers.

    The Vatican said cloning violates Catholic teaching that life begins at conception and shows disrespect for humanity.

    Cloning is a morality issue. We cannot allow our law-making bodies to continue to get bogged down in legislating morality. The vote on morality begins with a person's vote for an elected official.

    That elected official is in a persuasive position. We cannot allow more meaningless laws to be in place because half-hearted judges will falter at their responsibilities in the end.

    Cloning is wrong, and so is legislating morality. I believe both problems equally threaten our global society.