“The
Science and Ethics of Reproductive Cloning”
Explored on April 15th in
Science Matters
A Speakers Program at the
California Science Center
Los
Angeles – Science
Matters,
a speakers program that explores current science issues in
the forefront of public concern, will present The
Science and Ethics of Reproductive Cloning on April
15, 2006, from 1:30-3:30 pm in the
Loker Conference Center at the California Science Center. As
cloning technologies advance, so do the hopes and fears of
people around the world – imagining that the reality
of human cloning may be closer than we think. Popular
news magazines report that for $30,000 you can clone your cat,
and soon you will be able to clone your dog. Science Matters panelists
will reveal the reality of current reproductive cloning science
and debate the ethical issues surrounding it including the
fear of eugenics, safety of current and future technologies,
and potential benefits vs. unknown social and biological consequences.
Several organizations are working to institute a worldwide
ban on reproductive cloning, but many countries oppose such
a ban based on the belief that all cloning techniques should
be available in medical research. While many favor research
on therapeutic cloning for treating human disease and illness,
reproductive cloning for producing offspring has always been
far more controversial.
The Science Matters program will begin with a science
presentation by Edward R.B. McCabe, M.D., Ph.D., chair, Department
of Human Genetics at the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. McCabe,
who is also a panelist, will explain the current science and
technology of reproductive cloning. In this light, panelists
will discuss the complex moral, ethical and legal issues that
infuse the debate on reproductive cloning.
Other panelists
include: Professor Lori B. Andrews,
JD, Chicago-Kent College of Law; Hassan Hathout, MD,
PhD, an Islamic scholar, bio-ethicist and retired professor of Kuwait
University; and Panayiotis Zavos, Ed.S., Ph.D., Director
of the Andrology Institute of America, Lexington, KY. Geoffrey
Cowan, Dean of the Annenberg School for Communications at the
University of Southern California, will serve as moderator.
Panel Discussion
The four featured panelists will offer different perspectives on the science,
practice and ethics of cloning, addressing such questions as:
- What is the likely future for cloning science, separating
fact from Hollywood fantasy?
- What
are the current laws regarding cloning? Is it really feasible
to control or ban cloning? And if we put legal limitations
on USA cloning research what are the consequences if other
countries don’t have similar
restrictions?
- How does the public feel about reproductive cloning? What
are the biggest concerns both inside and outside the scientific
community, here and abroad?
- What are the ethical and moral implications of human reproductive
cloning, and are there different ethical issues for cloning
animals and people?
In conjunction
with the panel discussion, small round-table Art & Science program seminars will pursue the cloning
topic from a broader point of view. These facilitated discussions,
also held on April 15th, will explore the foundations of our
respect and appreciation for human life through selections
of Aristotle’s Nichomachean
Ethics. With the help of this masterpiece of Western
thought, participants will interpret Aristotle’s meaning,
and bring this ethical test to bear on the complexities of
the topic considered in the panel discussion.
Admission
to this Art & Science program is Free
for Members and $10 for non-Members. Space is
very limited. Science Matters registration
is required before signing up for the seminar. For up-to-date
information on participants or to make a reservation, please
visit: http://goto.californiasciencecenter.org/sciencematters.
The California
Science Center and IMAX Theater are located
in historic Exposition Park just west of the Harbor 110
Freeway at 700 State Drive, Los Angeles. Open daily from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year’s Day. Admission to the exhibits is free. For
recorded information, including IMAX show times, call 323.SCIENCE
(323.724-3623). IMAX ticket prices range from $4.75 to
$8.00. For advance ticket purchases, group rates, or to
make free reservations for any visiting group of 15 or
more (required), call 213.744-2019. Parking is available
in the guest lot at Figueroa and 39th Street at $6 per
car, $10 for buses or oversized vehicles. Both the Science
Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair accessible. For
further information, please visit our website at www.californiasciencecenter.org.
