cloning for spare parts

Great Debates
1

saw the 6th Day with arnie and it made me seriously consider a couple of philosophical issues.

Let’s assume that we are living in a period where a complete clone can be made within a reasonably short time span. I don’t think it matters if it’s 4 hours or 2 weeks but let’s say it’s not years. So, we can create a clone for spare parts, say we lose a leg in a car accident or need a heart transplant. In this thought experiment, memory implanting is not possible. Let’s also assume the technology is developed enough to be relatively safe.
I wonder first, what does this level of technology imply? Will brain transplants be possible? Although, I expect the brain would probably degrade at some point, perhaps senility or other psychosis would set in.
I also wonder, how many of you would do this. I imagine the rich and powerful would try to keep this sort of thing for themselves. Would you let them? Would you demand that anyone that can afford it be allowed to use it or would you demand that no one be allowed to use it?
I’m not sure but offhand, I’d think that I would take advantage of this if I could (and needed to) and that I would oppose it if the rich tried to keep it for themselves.

2

This touches on some deep philosphical issues, so I’ll just move this over to our Great Debates forum for you.

3

It seems that all parts of the body degrade with time so I suppose that it would be necessary to replace everything. This means that you have to take whatever makes a person an individual (I assume that this would be the thoughts stored in the brain) and transfer them into a new body (and thus into a new brain). This would be difficult to say the least.

I imagine that anyone that could afford it would be able to have it done. The only problem comes from those people that say that this policy discriminates against the poor and thus the process should be government funded, or covered by insurance, etc… It seems fair that only the wealthy could afford to have it done (assuming the procedure is expensive to perform). There has to be some advantages to being wealthy or else there would be no desire to succeed.