The world changed when it was announced in February of 1997 that scientists working for a private research institute in Scotland had cloned a sheep. It was a total surprise, and a new pattern emerged: Technology first, typically by surprise; ethics and policy come later, if at all. Four years later, here in the U.S. we still have no policy. There are few more worrying facts in the modern world.

I concede that no one should stop the birth of those children already created through the cloning process.  We can, however, bring use of this procedure to an end. Even as the king once thought himself above the law, so some scientists today think themselves beyond the laws reach and societies mores.  But the contrary is true.  Scientists must be forced to abide by the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.  This principle, based on Christian theism, is Lex Homo Scientiae.

With bioethical issues leading the way, the future in medicine and reproductive technology could mean further reductions in the value of human life and dignity. While the public may realize that bioethics has something to do with cloning and stem cell research, most people have no idea where the term came from or what it may include.