Dear Dr Zavos,
I had the pleasure of being present at your talk at the Union. While many opportunites were given for us to engage in lengthy discussion, many of the thoughts which I wish to convey to you were not formed yesterday. After lengthy thought, I wish to express to you some of my misgivings against cloning, and your motives secondarily.
Infertility, as much as you would like us to believe so, is not a disease. A disease is something that can lead to mortality. The inability to have a child is never going to cause direct death of a parent. True, to some people, not having a child is like death itself. To these people, adoption should be the proposed solution. Is it really that necessary to indulge the whims of a parent to such an extent that they must be cloned. When the child asks who his biological parents are, the truth is..its his grandparents. The implications on family dynamics are unbelivably large. I personally have not had the experience of childlessness, so its true, I do not understand. But, being neutral lets me see the bigger picture. Part of medicine is the understanding of the greater good. In this case, the greater good is not being served, instead the whims of a select group of people is being catered to.
I asked you yesterday whether you could guarantee that this technology was going to be regulated. You said that you were not sure. This is understandable. Legislation is in the hands of the politicians, not the scientists. However, scientists have the obligation to be responsible for the knowledge they create. You cited the atomic industry as an example of a well regulated evil. My comeback to that is....we all fear being hit by an atom bomb in times of war. Some countries even fight pointless wars over weapons of mass destruction. So it is not a fear that has been eradicated. Your technology has such dramatic potential for misuse. If you do not see that, I term you naive. History does not remember the inventors of the atom bomb for their energy saving technology.
Scientifically as well, I have many doubts. You are capable of citing badly designed studies, but absolutely incapable of citing any well done studies. The few examples that you did cite, were few in sample size and more importantly, not done by you. If you criticise the doctor cloning monkeys, you should be able to show that it can be done. However, you cant and havent. Your animal models are lacking and since they carry human genes, calling them non human is a matter of definition. You cant hide behind jargon and terminology when it is plain, that the DNA from that is predominently human. Even if it werent, it cant mean very much as cloning is highly species specific.
I do understand. You can never be sure of the outcome of an experiment until you have performed it. Any scientist would sympathise with that logic. However, you dont seem to see that your experiments involve people. Imagine if the first experimental child you create is severely disabled, or incompatible with life. Or even worse, someone whose illnesses only come to light later when they cant be aborted. How can you live with yourself ethically if you create a child that has some horrendous illness which is of your own making. Will you say, this was a badly designed experiment, let me correct my errors for the next one...
If you do really think that way, then terming yourself compassionate is farcical.
You speak of wanting to help people, and that this is not a means to seek publicity. Then why is it that when one accesses your website, it is filled with lists of your television appearances. If you really want to help people, go to Africa and treat people. For every cloned person you make, 50 million die of basic diseases like the flu. Why didnt you use those 25 years you had to run a health organisation for the needy. They need help. The only fundamental difference is that none of these people can pay you or provide any publicity. Well, according to you, that shouldnt matter. So, I suggest that you look into these methods of helping a large number of people.
You cant compare yourself to IVF. IVF and ICSI are technologies which mimic the natural process. I myself however have never heard of a species that performs nucleus transfer as a means of reproduction.
If you were a harmless publicity seeker, I would not be too worried. However, I believe that you are capable of cloning a human. I only hope that you will see the implications of what you are doing. Why are you doing this when there is so much else to be done
Thank you
