If clonning progresses internationaly and turns into a large industry, possibly along the same lines as cosmetic surgery, might America end up decades behind in research, because of our anti-cloning stance?
This seems to me to be asking for an economic disadvantage; or am I just worrying too much?
I agree completely.
You are not overexaggerating, IMHO. The anti-cloning bill passed by the House and up for debate in the Senate in fall includes clauses which not only ban cloning and associated technologies, but all subsequent technologies developed using cloning.
This means any future biotech developments, if based on cloning, would not be availible for development or even distribution in the US. So if they do cure ALS or diabetes using cloning, then you would have to go to Japan to get the cure.
You are absolutely right that we’ll lose money, but not to the point of having “no economy.” The answer that anti-cloning religious zealots will give, however, is that sometimes there are things that are more important than the almighty buck. Each year our economy loses millions, perhaps billions of dollars from not being allowed to invest in cuba - a great resort country. Our economy still goes on.
I am all for cloning, and it is a shame that american companies will miss out on many great patents, advances, experience, and profits. Blame the religious people who think everything is a “moral issue” and want to ban this and that because their interpretation of their personal godbook (bible, etc) says it is wrong.
I do think that it is a serious issue for our economy. Biotech is obviously one of the industries that will grow the fastest during the next few years. As I see it, avoiding all cloning isn’t really a possibility for the major biotech companies, so they will all have to establish overseas research facilities. And each facility could mean tens of thousands of high-paying jobs being sent out of the country.
Great for us non-Americans, our jobs and economies, having a major player kept out of cloning by legislation.
Americans industry isn’t stupid, though. Once the money starts pouring into foreign coffers, pressure will be put back onto the US government to allow it.
Don’t be too sure of that. American industry invented the VCR, but it was the Japanese who saw the potential of it and developed successful models for home use. American industry dominated the automotive world for decades and then the Japanese came along and kicked their asses pretty good. (American industry also pioneered the methods the Japanese used to become a major industrial power, while American industry tossed those methods away.)
Truth to tell, because of American industry’s stupidity, if the US were to go to war the Japan again, we’d be pretty much screwed, since America has pretty much abandoned the production of electronic goods, and the components of all our high-tech superweapons are electronics.
This was done all in the name of greater profits and higher stock prices.
I think there’s at least two elements to the cloning-research debate. The first is the technological advancement aspect; if the US doesn’t participate in research that the rest of the world is conducting, it will be left behind. The second is the religious aspect of it; that is, the decision/debate over stem-cell/cloning research seems to come from a religious fundamentalist basis. I’m not sure which aspect upsets me more. Maybe I’ve just read too many sci-fi novels, but I am very concerned by the trend of fundamentalists becoming more and more powerful. The stupid decisions made in the past “in the name of greater profits and higher stock prices” (thanks, Tuckerfan) are now being made in the name of morality?
We’ll have a weaker economy, but look at the up-side. Some Americans will have “clear consciences”. And of course, “God will be on our side”. Meanwhile, I’ll be in Sweden getting treated.
That made me laugh, but its so true. Air travel means that you can fly to Sweden to get treated, the same as gay couples can go to another jurisdiction to get married and pregnant women can go to another jurisdiction to get abortions. If the American government doesn’t want to or can’t keep up, its affluent citizens will take their money to another country and do it there.
Yes, but then what do the less affluent citizens do? They’re stuck. If the USA wants to be a free country we need to keep religion out of our legislation.
No, we have to prevent the rich as much as posssible from abusing the cloning process, and turn ‘justice’ into ‘just me’.
Yep, I don’t disagree.