See Spot Clone

Samara’s family dog, Biscuit, passed away a few months after she moved out of her parents’ home to go to college. She was devastated, but her father, who took on the primary responsibility of caring for the animal, was even more so. She knew that her parents would be looking for a new dog, but when she returned home on a school break she was surprised to see a pair of puppies who both look almost identical to Biscuit in every way.   Her parents had found a company called ViaGen, which, for a fee, was able to clone  Biscuit using skin cells harvested at the time of his death. Samara is conflicted. Part of her is glad to see that her father has been able to move past the grief of losing their dog, but another part of her is worried that her parents have been taken advantage of. The procedure was incredibly expensive, and the two dogs may look like Biscuit, but they have very different personalities. Samara supposes that this is due to the difference in the puppies’ upbringing, but she worries that her parents had been under the impression that their new dog would be a copy of Biscuit in every way, including behavior. 1  Animal cloning has been available since the 90s. It has been used to create more productive livestock animals, help scientists study diseases, and restore endangered populations. Cloning a pet dog, though, can cost upwards of 50,000 dollars 2and some critics worry that the procedure is frivolous. This is especially true when there are so many shelter animals in need of homes that could be adopted instead. To successfully clone an animal, eggs must be harvested from one dog and then implanted into another additional animal. From start to finish, two dogs are operated on in order to produce a clone, and many believe that there is something wrong with the lives of these “unseen” animals being used as a means to an end.   Having a pet that reminds people of the animals that they lost might be a good thing. But when the cloned pet retains none of the same memories as the original, will be born with a different personality, and cost significantly more than a pet obtained from any other source, some people wonder where the benefit actually lies. Still though, the pet owners who have purchased cloned animals do report being happy with their decision and often feel a stronger connection to their new animals.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.Is there a moral difference between cloning a pet who has died and cloning a human relative or friend who has died? Why or why not?

2.Is the financial cost of cloning a pet unconscionable in a way that the cost of other expensive luxuries, like high-end cars, is not?

3.Whose responsibility is it to mind the ethical considerations associated with cloning pets? Is it the companies that provide this service? The pet owners who seek it out? the government? Someone else?

4.How might one compare the moral weight between cloning a pet, buying from a breeder, or adopting from a shelter?

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/07/01/would-you-clone-your-dog1 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/scientists-clone-first-u-s-endangered-species-n1258310211