Human cloning: notion, types, regulations, and disputable questions

Abstract

Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy (or clone) of a human. Since Dolly the Sheep was cloned in 1996, the question of whether human reproductive cloning should be banned or pursued has been the subject of international debate. In 2005, the United Nations adopted its Declaration on Human Cloning to try to deal with this issue, receiving only ambivalent support from UN member states. Human reproductive cloning is a challenging subject, but establishing a robust global governance framework in this area may be possible via an alternative deliberative format that involves a wide range of stakeholders and is based on knowledge sharing and feasibility testing rather than the interest-based bargaining that is common to intergovernmental organizations. Although the latest scientific work related to cloning has been focused on potential medical applications, the purpose of this article is to collect and analyze the available information from legal and scientific literature.