Gregory E. Pence

About the author: Gregory E. Pence is professor of philosophy in the Schools of Medicine and Arts/Humanities at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He teaches and writes extensively about biomedical ethics. His books include Classic Cases in Medical Ethics.

Those who wish to propose moral rules governing human asexual reproduction, or cloning, should ask themselves four questions: Does the rule intrude too much on personal liberty? What is the point of the moral rule? Why assume the worst motives? Why fear slippery slopes? The answers will reveal that, in most circumstances, cloning is ethical. It harms no one, violates only traditional moral rules that do not necessarily apply to today's society, would usually be done for good motives, and need not bring about disastrous changes.

The first stage [of modern moral philosophy] is one of gradual...