In this blog post, we address the issue of human rights for cloned babies born through nuclear transfer technology and examine whether the ethical and psychological implications of this technology are being sufficiently considered.
In 1997, following the public unveiling of Dolly, the cloned sheep created by transferring the nucleus from an adult sheep’s somatic cell, discussions on the possibility of human cloning began in earnest, establishing itself as a major ethical debate within the scientific community. Dolly’s emergence had such a profound impact that the organizing committee of the Oxford Amnesty Lectures, in an unusual move, addressed the topic of “Science and Human Rights” for two consecutive years. Over the following two decades, vigorous debates on human cloning took place from technical, ethical, and social perspectives. Among these, human rights issues were one of the central points of contention in the discussion on human cloning. Proponents of cloning view nuclear transfer technology as a tool that guarantees reproductive autonomy, similar to in vitro fertilization, while opponents raise broader issues affecting all of humanity, such as human dignity and the objectification of human beings.
In this blog post, we will focus specifically on the human rights of “cloned babies.” While issues such as human dignity and reproductive autonomy are important, the individuals most directly affected by nuclear transfer technology are not human rights activists or parents, but rather the “cloned babies” who will be born through this technology. Therefore, even if all technical issues are resolved and human cloning technology becomes stable, we must thoroughly discuss the impact this technology will have on cloned babies.
Before beginning the discussion, this blog post assumes that “children born through genetic cloning technology will be informed of their cloning status before the age of seven.” This is similar to the issue of when and how to disclose the fact of adoption during the adoption process. Adoption can be divided into “open adoption” and “closed adoption.” Han Yeon-hee, former president of the Korea Adoption Promotion Association, emphasized that open adoption has a positive impact on both the adopted child and the parents. Additionally, child counselor Lee Bo-yeon explained that informing a child of their adoption before the age of seven makes it easier for them to accept the situation and helps them establish their self-identity. We will apply these adoption cases to children born through nuclear replacement and proceed with the discussion under the assumption that disclosing the fact of cloning before the age of 7 is most desirable.
There are two main scenarios for having a child through nuclear replacement technology. The first involves cloning using the genetic material of one of the parents. In this case, the child will grow up with the same physical appearance as the parent who provided the nucleus. This is also one of the examples John Harrison presented to demonstrate that human cloning via nuclear transfer is ethically unproblematic. Harrison first presented the case of creating a child using the chromosomes of an infertile husband and the mitochondrial DNA of the wife. The second case involves cloning using a nucleus donated by a third party other than the parents. In this case, the nuclear donor could be a relative, a biological child, or a third party with desirable traits.
First, let’s consider a scenario in which a child cloned using the genes of one parent is told before the age of 7 that they were cloned. From the moment of birth, the cloned child grows up seeing what they will look like 20 to 30 years in the future, which can cause various problems during their development. Because they can see in advance what they will look like 20 to 30 years from now—as they grow up with the same physical appearance—cloned children run the risk of having reduced fantasies and expectations about their own future. Research shows that during childhood, fantasies, curiosity, and expectations have a positive impact on emotional development; however, in the case of cloned babies, these fantasies may develop weakly, potentially having a negative impact on their emotional development. During adolescence, cloned children may also experience stress as they observe themselves becoming more like their parents. In particular, during the period when secondary sexual characteristics and physical changes emerge, the physical resemblance to their parents may cause the child to feel aversion and helplessness. As adults, they may also become aware of their own physical limitations early on by observing their parents’ aging and death, which could lead to depression or a sense of helplessness.
Children cloned using a third party’s nucleus will also face various challenges. One of these is the difficulty in clearly defining who their parents are. While the social parents raising the cloned child can be clearly identified, the biological parents may be defined differently. Since the cloned child’s physical traits are entirely derived from the person who provided the nucleus, the nucleus donor can be considered the genetic parent. The egg donor may also be considered a genetic parent because they contribute to certain traits through mitochondrial DNA. In the case of birth via a surrogate, the surrogate may also be considered a biological parent. Therefore, the number of people who contributed to the child’s birth could reach five. This could cause confusion for the child.
Whether the nuclear donor is a parent or a third party, there are common issues that arise. Parents seeking nuclear transfer technology may intentionally select their child’s traits. This could lead the child to feel that both their good and bad traits were determined by their parents, creating a risk that resentment for the bad traits will be directed toward the parents.
As such, nuclear replacement technology can have various negative impacts on children’s lives. While it may appear to promote human rights by guaranteeing reproductive autonomy, considering the confusion and psychological stress that cloned children will experience, it can be viewed as a selfish act that disregards the human rights of the next generation. Therefore, for nuclear transfer technology to be actually implemented, we must recognize cloned children as independent individuals and establish measures to honestly inform them of their origins so they can establish their own sense of identity. If such alternatives are not sufficiently put in place, human cloning through nuclear transfer technology will go down in history as the worst technology, one that disregarded the lives of the next generation for the sake of the current generation’s rights.
