Liberal Leaders Oppose Human Cloning as Threat to Humanity
Date: 03/20/2002
The Center for Genetics and Society yesterday released a letter signed by 100 liberal leaders and experts condemning cloning and eugenic engineering. “We need to ensure that these powerful new genetic technologies don’t spin out of control and undermine social justice and democracy,” said Dr. Marcy Darnovsky, Associate Executive Director of the Center for Genetics and Society. “Human cloning could be a gateway to a frightening new kind of eugenics, where discrimination and inequality are permanently written into our genetic code.”
The letter states in part:
- The new technologies of human genetic engineering are among the most consequential technologies ever developed. If used wisely they hold great promise for preventing and treating disease, but if misused they could lead to a future more horrific than any we might imagine. These technologies are being developed at a frenzied pace. The general public has had little real opportunity to understand and consider their full implications. There are few significant controls over their use. The implications for individual integrity and autonomy, for family and community life, for social and economic justice and indeed for world peace are chilling. Once humans begin cloning and genetically engineering their children for desired traits we will have crossed a threshold of no return.
- We are long-time advocates for human rights, the environment, and social justice. We are strong supporters of women’s health and reproductive rights, disability rights, and biomedical research. We believe in the inherent equality and human dignity of all people. We want to help ensure that our descendants live in a world in which these values are sustained and nurtured.
The entire letter and list of its signatories can be viewed at www.genetics-and-society.org/signon-letter.htm