Analog
Lifer
The claim that a cloned human embryo has been implanted in a womb of a 32-year-old woman has enraged scientists and ethicists.
The chances of the team behind the bid having a successful outcome, that is a healthy baby, are rated by experts as ranging from highly remote to non-existent. But if a baby were born, how long would it be before it started asking the sort of awkward questions all children do?
What sort of answers could they expect? (Your suggestions for further answers, or indeed tricky questions, are welcomed.)
Mummy, where do babies come from?
A tough one at the best of times. At least a cloned child could be told of its origins without reference to sexual organs, which might make it easier for particularly bashful parents. But cloning is a very complicated process to grasp: the theory is that a human egg is hollowed out, and then implanted with genetic material from another cell (in the current example a skin cell) from another human, either male or female. Theoretically the woman supplying the egg could supply the genetic material as well. It is then given an electrical jolt which is designed to start the dividing process. Few adults could claim to understand the process fully, so explaining it to a child without making them feel like a freak of nature could be a tall order.
Text
The chances of the team behind the bid having a successful outcome, that is a healthy baby, are rated by experts as ranging from highly remote to non-existent. But if a baby were born, how long would it be before it started asking the sort of awkward questions all children do?
What sort of answers could they expect? (Your suggestions for further answers, or indeed tricky questions, are welcomed.)
Mummy, where do babies come from?
A tough one at the best of times. At least a cloned child could be told of its origins without reference to sexual organs, which might make it easier for particularly bashful parents. But cloning is a very complicated process to grasp: the theory is that a human egg is hollowed out, and then implanted with genetic material from another cell (in the current example a skin cell) from another human, either male or female. Theoretically the woman supplying the egg could supply the genetic material as well. It is then given an electrical jolt which is designed to start the dividing process. Few adults could claim to understand the process fully, so explaining it to a child without making them feel like a freak of nature could be a tall order.
Text
