The ban on human cloning is stupid – Brexit is UK’s chance to get rid of it

Hugh V. McLachlan

Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article

Abstract

According to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, human cloning should be illegal because “everyone has the right to respect for his or her physical and mental integrity”. The UK’s laws have to be in line with this – but only until Brexit. Fifteen years to the month since the death of Dolly the sheep in Edinburgh, it’s time to take this opportunity to reconsider the law.
The relevant UK legislation is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (2008). Section three stipulates that it is a crime to place a human embryo in a woman unless it was created by the fertilisation of an egg from the ovaries of a woman by sperm from the testes of a man. Since human cloning creates embryos in a different way – replacing the nucleus of a human egg cell by DNA from a somatic cell, for instance – it is outlawed.
Original languageEnglish
Specialist publicationThe Conversation
PublisherThe Conversation
Publication statusPublished - 22 Feb 2018

Fingerprint

embryo
ban
Law
fundamental right
charter
integrity
respect
EU
legislation
act
offense
death
time

Keywords

  • genetics
  • eugenics
  • Brexit
  • clones
  • Dolly the sheep
  • Nazi
  • identical twins
  • Genetics Racism Eugenics Brexit Clones Dolly the sheep Nazi Human cloning identical twins EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Cite this

McLachlan, Hugh V. / The ban on human cloning is stupid – Brexit is UK’s chance to get rid of it. In: The Conversation. 2018.
@misc{b8d0c90215cf4a3cadb4d8f4711406e2,
title = "The ban on human cloning is stupid – Brexit is UK’s chance to get rid of it",
abstract = "According to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, human cloning should be illegal because “everyone has the right to respect for his or her physical and mental integrity”. The UK’s laws have to be in line with this – but only until Brexit. Fifteen years to the month since the death of Dolly the sheep in Edinburgh, it’s time to take this opportunity to reconsider the law.The relevant UK legislation is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (2008). Section three stipulates that it is a crime to place a human embryo in a woman unless it was created by the fertilisation of an egg from the ovaries of a woman by sperm from the testes of a man. Since human cloning creates embryos in a different way – replacing the nucleus of a human egg cell by DNA from a somatic cell, for instance – it is outlawed.",
keywords = "genetics, eugenics, Brexit, clones, Dolly the sheep, Nazi, identical twins, Genetics Racism Eugenics Brexit Clones Dolly the sheep Nazi Human cloning identical twins EU Charter of Fundamental Rights",
author = "McLachlan, {Hugh V.}",
year = "2018",
month = "2",
day = "22",
language = "English",
journal = "The Conversation",
issn = "2201-5639",
publisher = "The Conversation",

}

McLachlan, HV 2018, 'The ban on human cloning is stupid – Brexit is UK’s chance to get rid of it' The Conversation.

The ban on human cloning is stupid – Brexit is UK’s chance to get rid of it. / McLachlan, Hugh V.

In: The Conversation, 22.02.2018.

Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article

TY - GEN

T1 - The ban on human cloning is stupid – Brexit is UK’s chance to get rid of it

AU - McLachlan, Hugh V.

PY - 2018/2/22

Y1 - 2018/2/22

N2 - According to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, human cloning should be illegal because “everyone has the right to respect for his or her physical and mental integrity”. The UK’s laws have to be in line with this – but only until Brexit. Fifteen years to the month since the death of Dolly the sheep in Edinburgh, it’s time to take this opportunity to reconsider the law.The relevant UK legislation is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (2008). Section three stipulates that it is a crime to place a human embryo in a woman unless it was created by the fertilisation of an egg from the ovaries of a woman by sperm from the testes of a man. Since human cloning creates embryos in a different way – replacing the nucleus of a human egg cell by DNA from a somatic cell, for instance – it is outlawed.

AB - According to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, human cloning should be illegal because “everyone has the right to respect for his or her physical and mental integrity”. The UK’s laws have to be in line with this – but only until Brexit. Fifteen years to the month since the death of Dolly the sheep in Edinburgh, it’s time to take this opportunity to reconsider the law.The relevant UK legislation is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (2008). Section three stipulates that it is a crime to place a human embryo in a woman unless it was created by the fertilisation of an egg from the ovaries of a woman by sperm from the testes of a man. Since human cloning creates embryos in a different way – replacing the nucleus of a human egg cell by DNA from a somatic cell, for instance – it is outlawed.

KW - genetics

KW - eugenics

KW - Brexit

KW - clones

KW - Dolly the sheep

KW - Nazi

KW - identical twins

KW - Genetics Racism Eugenics Brexit Clones Dolly the sheep Nazi Human cloning identical twins EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

UR - https://theconversation.com/the-ban-on-human-cloning-is-stupid-brexit-is-uks-chance-to-get-rid-of-it-92143

M3 - Article

JO - The Conversation

JF - The Conversation

SN - 2201-5639

PB - The Conversation

ER -

McLachlan HV. The ban on human cloning is stupid – Brexit is UK’s chance to get rid of it. The Conversation. 2018 Feb 22.

Documents and Links