For all the good intentioned debate, I don't think there's any doubt that
cloning humans will happen, it will happen sooner than anybody anticipates,
and it will eventually become commonplace.
My predictions:
1. Clinton's ban on federal funded cloning research is made permanent.
2. Congress tries to ban all cloning research but fails by a vote or two,
after pleas by Harold Varmus and a lobbying group formed by Amgen, Biogen,
Genentech, Monsanto, and the National Intitutes of Health.
3. Meanwhile, someone opens up a cloning clinic in Anguilla.
Cloning research in Europe and the US goes underground (there has
always been underground research. Several scientists were thrown out of
good positions when they used genetic engineering in ways that were orinally
banned, eg one of my thesis advisors.)
4. Extropy Istitute opens up a Tissue Bank for Transhuman Cloning.
Transhumans worldwide start freezing bits of themselves in anticipation of
further progress in cloning research.
4. Somebody notices that the cloning clinic in Anguilla is making money.
Congress is upset because the Americans are losing the technological cloning
race to Anguilla.
5. Cloning becomes the hot button issue of the year 2004 presidential race.
Republican nominee Pat Buchanan and incumbent Southern Baptist Al Gore agree
that cloning humans is against the will of God. Corporate money pours into
the coffers of the Libertarian Party.
6. President Max More rescinds the cloning ban, asserting that it is
"inimical to Libertarian Party principles" as well as the "American
tradition of individual choice."
7. Albert Einstein is exhumed and cloned in multiple copies. Einstein
develops a group mind as an Evil Genius that takes over the world,
generating millions of copies of himself.
et cetera...
Steve Alan Edwards
SAlanEd@concentric.net,
SAlanEd@aol.com,
http://users.aol.com/salaned/cyberplace.html