Human cloning: The case of the (preimplantation) embryo, an ethical exploration

This chapter discusses the different sorts of human cloning. At least two distinctions are morally relevant, namely between reproductive cloning and non-reproductive cloning, and between the cloning of adults/children and the cloning of preimplantation embryos. In view of these distinctions, there are at least four categories of human cloning: reproductive cloning of adults/children; non-reproductive cloning of adults/children, including so-called 'therapeutic' cloning (TC), that is, cloning for transplantation purposes; reproductive embryo cloning (REC); and non-reproductive embryo cloning. The chapter concentrates on the REC and TC and explores their some background information about the scientific and practical aspects. Two methods may be used for REC: embryo splitting, more precisely, blastomere separation, and cell nucleus transfer. Experts have high expectations of the use of human embryonic stem cells (ESC) for transplantation purposes. The chapter also explores the ethics of REC, more in particular REC in the context of regular in vitro fertilization (IVF), and then comments on the ethics of TC.