Issues to consider in the animal cloning debate including: sentience, slippery slope argument, consent, speciesism
Application of each normative ethical theory to animal cloning:
Natural Moral Law, Virtue Ethics, Situation Ethics.
Evaluation of each normative ethical theory's application t...
Application of Normative Ethical Theories
~ Animals Life Issues ~
Use of Animals in Scientific Procedures & Cloning
Animals are often used for research to make human medicinal advancements including drug
development and vaccines. Animals are also cloned (produce genetically identical copies) to
save endangered species, but also to increase meat and fur production i.e. serve human needs.
- Animals cannot consent to such procedures
- Slippery slope - could humans be cloned for research purposes in future?
- Sentient animals are used at later stages in medical research
- Duplication of experiments and dissimilarities with humans
Application of Normative Ethical Theories
Natural Moral
1. Hierarchy of Souls / Dominion -> humans have the right to use animals instrumentally as
human property - no reason to object to research on animals for medical advancements
- ‘There is no sin in using a thing for the purpose for which it is [made]’
2. Primary precept: preservation of life (such medical advancements prevent human death)
3. Double Effect - must be a good interior act
- e.g. intention = cure humans and advance medically (deliberate infliction of pain is wrong)
4. Proportionalism - clones often suffer deformities so cloning should only be done when
necessary to avoid needless suffering
5. However: interfere’s with God’s plan - each animals has a purpose so we cannot interfere
Evaluating NML approach to Scientific Procedures & Cloning
Strengths Weaknesses
Dominion / Preservation of Life - use animals Stewardship - God created animals too so we
to lower human death rate and find cures should respect His creation
Pragmatic Dismissal Argument - when human Unclear whether the primary precepts apply
life is at risk, human needs are prioritised to animal life too
Double Effect - intention = save human life not Singer - would you be prepared to save
cruelty to animals -> justified human life with an inhibited humans’ life?
Accepted by Catholic Church in Catechism Aquinas - ‘might go on to do the same to
2417 men’ -> slippery slope
Humans = imago dei -> God gave them a Regan - animals deserve at least some moral
higher status than animals consideration
Kant - animals are a means to an end and that Contradictory: emphasis on achieving
end is humans -> saves human life so animals purpose but hierarchy of souls puts humans
fulfil their purposing of aiding humans above animals so their telos cannot be fulfilled
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