Virtue or vice?

The technology of sheep cloning, though crude and not very effective, appears straightforward and the cost moderate.

But it is hard to escape the thought that most such experiments on humans could backfire given the crucial role the environment plays in human development.

The mere thought of cloning disgusts many people who see it as arrogant tinkering with Mother Nature and a dangerous interruption of the gene flow from which the human race has evolved.

Like most technology, cloning is bound to have both virtues and vices. But before these advances get too far ahead of us, society will need to sort through what is acceptable and what is the nightmare beyond.

-- The New York Times