Human Cloning and Genetic Engineering Annotated Bibliography

It focuses on the controversy, and provides answers to the question of whether or not stem cell research is providing the benefits in the ways in which the public believes they will soon be benefiting from the research.

The authors contend that partisan responses to the public's concerns over stem cell research are delaying the benefits of much needed treatments and cures that can be derived from stem cell research because funding is being reduced and restricted by the government.

Kass, Leon. Human Cloning and Dignity: The Report of the President's Council on Bioethics. New York: Public Affairs, 2002. Print.

Kass' book is important to this research paper because it explains the government's definition of human cloning (1), which helps shed light on the policy that has been, and will be formulated around the evolving science and application of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering can only proceed to the extent that the laws governing it allow for its application in society and medicine.

The working definition of the U.S. Government, and the one that will be employed in this research paper, is:

"The term 'human cloning' is used in this chapter to refer to all human cloning: cloning-to-produce-children and cloning-for-biomedical-research. When only one particular use of human cloning is intended, we will use the more specific term (1)."

This will be the way in which the term will be defined and used throughout the research paper here.

MacKinnon, Barbara. Human Cloning, Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. Champagne: University of Illinois Press, 2001. Print.

MacKinnon's examines the subject and the controversy from a philosophical perspective. MacKinnon introduces the cloning and genetic engineering with a discussion on the first break-through case: Dolly, the sheep cloned from an adult sheep by animal researchers Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell in July, 1996 (2). As this is the case that brought the concept of cloning out of the realm of science fiction, and forced the public to begin considering genetic engineering as a reality of life, the review of this case offered by MacKinnon is useful.No discussion on genetic engineering can be had without briefly reflecting on the case of Dolly the sheep.

MacKinnon does not just look at the science, but talks about the public reaction as a mixture of excitement, fear, and horror (2-3). It is, after all, this emotional range that rises out of advancing scientific discovery and the many different religious concepts of God that has prevented the application of genetic engineering, thereby delaying advances in the treatment of fatal and debilitating diseases like Alzheimer's, age-related dementia, Parkinson's disease, and many other diseases.

Equally important to the discussion is the topic of profit and business in genetic engineering. MacKinnon says that entrepreneurial efforts will begin by appealing to the sector of the public whose own circumstances and experiences with debilitating and fatal diseases will cause them to be emotionally sympathetic to the idea of genetic engineering (117). This segues to her discussion on formulating public policy already promulgated and that which provides the foundation for future policy as a result of the benefits of genetic engineering in treating disease.

MacKinnon's book is useful to my research because it opens provides the link between science and public opposition that is needed to….....