Guest Poster - Christians and Cloning

Christians and Cloning - By Dr. Jim Wigton
Dr. Wigton is the Senior Pastor of Peace River Baptist Church in Punta Gorda, Florida. He is also a board member with the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (FACCS).

This post is derived from a lecture presented to members of FACCS last month.

Since the successful cloning of "Dolly" the sheep in 1997, a Christian needs a biblical view of a scientific issue complex beyond the wildest imaginations of our fathers and grandfathers.
The word clone comes from the Greek word, klon. A clone is an individual plant, animal, or human being derived by asexual (i.e., non-sexual) reproduction from another organism which has the identical hereditary components. Individuals could derive from the same cell (e.g., identical twins), or the clone could originate from the cell of another individual. There are three main kinds of cloning embryo cloning, therapeutic or biomedical cloning, and reproductive cloning, which seeks to produce a duplicate of an existing animal. Thus far, reproductive cloning has produced a sheep & other animals, but not known to have been performed w/humans (illegal in many countries).

Cloning is not a human invention. God planned for cloning in such ways as potato tubers and strawberry runners. Aphids can reproduce both sexually and by cloning. Other animals which clone include: certain bees, ants, crustaceans, and lizards.

Cloning requires both DNA & embryo cells in order to take place. All cellular forms of life have DNA. An embryo is the early form of a fetus resulting from the union of sperm and egg. To clone, DNA is removed from the nucleus of the creature's cell.

The material, bearing coded genetic information, is then placed in the nucleus of an embryonic cell of another creature. The cell receiving the new genetic information would have had its own DNA removed in order to accept the new DNA. If the cell accepts the new DNA, a duplicate embryo is formed. However, the embryo cell may reject the new DNA and thus die. It is also very possible the embryo may not survive having the original genetic material removed from its nucleus. In many cases, when cloning is attempted, several embryos are used at a time, in order to increase the odds of a successful implantation of new genetic material resulting in duplication. While it is possible for a duplicate creature to be created in this manner (e.g., Dolly the sheep), the chances of successfully duplicating a creature exactly, and without complication, are extremely slim.

God's command in Scripture not to kill human life - Exodus 20:13 - prohibits cloning. The process of cloning requires human embryos to be used. While cells can be generated, it is necessary to kill several embryos to obtain the required DNA. Killing embryos is the same as killing persons. Consequently, a biblical view would totally oppose any effort of human cloning. Scripture clearly teaches that life begins at conception - Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 49:1-5; Jeremiah 1:5; and, Luke 1:15. Cloning, which is the destruction of human embryos, or fetuses, is not consistent with God's command regarding human life. Christian author Philip Ryken concludes: "Once we understand this, it becomes apparent why embryonic stem cell research is immoral: It inevitably involves the destruction of a human being designed to be in the image of God." Cloning also requires such destruction.