FAQ - Ethics of Cloning

Is Cloning 'unnatural'?

Not at all - some organisms in nature only reproduce using cloning - not only bacteria and yeasts, but also larger organisms like some snails and shrimp. Because in nature sexual reproduction is the only way to improve the genetic stock of a species, most asexual species tend to die off, but at least one - a shrimp called Artemia perthenogenetica has survived for at least 30 million years. Many more species, including the aphid, reproduce by cloning most of the time, only reproducing sexually every few generations. Perhaps one day humankind many follow this lead?

See also Science :        Is cloning unnatural?

Would a clone have a soul?

As identical twins and various types of 'test tube babies' that have already been born have souls, it follows that a clone would have one too. A soul would be individual to every living being and this would include clones.