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Monday, May 13, 2002The saddest cases are the people who want to clone themselves or a dead loved one in the expectation that they’ll have a second chance at life. They try to convince us that this isn’t what they think, but their hearts’ desire comes through loud and clear in their words: "I don't understand people who want to clone themselves," says Gordon, 42, a lab technician who lives in central Montana and has a doctorate in ethics. But cloning one's dead daughter is different, she said. "I'd trade everything I have today just to have Emily back." .... ...Of course, even cloning won't bring Gordon's daughter back, but Gordon knows that. She knows that cloning replicates nature, not nurture. But that's part of her inspiration. Emily grew up in difficult circumstances during Gordon's previous marriage, Gordon said, declining to go into details. "But in the end, she turned out wonderfully," Gordon said. "If I could have a child with her predisposition to life, her humor, but have her grow up in this new life I've created for myself, which is much better now. I'm married to an attorney. I have all kinds of things now. . . ." Her voice trails off.” There is the implication in her statement that a clone of her daughter would be a new, improved version because she can now provide her with material things. Is that what they taught her in her ethics doctorate program? Then there is the man who thinks that cloning himself will give him a second chance at life: He was born with cystic fibrosis, an inherited lung disease that could easily kill him within the next decade. There is no cure, but by adding a healthy version of the gene that's defective in CF, scientists have been able to "cure" individual cells taken from patients with the disease. Now Colvin wants scientists to do just that, and a little bit more: Take one of the trillions of cells in his body, fix the tiny molecular mutation that causes the disease, and then clone that single repaired cell to grow a new and literally improved copy of himself -- a newborn Jonathan Colvin who would be free of the disease. "In some respect, it would give me a second chance at life without CF," Colvin said. "It wouldn't be me, but it would be very similar to me." I hate to break it to him, but it won’t be his brain in that clone’s body, and it won’t be his life it’s living. posted by Sydney on 5/13/2002 08:17:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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