Animal tansgenesis and cloning: Religious and ethical considerations

This paper examines some ethical, cultural and multi-faith religious issues raised by our present knowledge and scientific ability to clone animals and use transgenic animals to better the quality of human life. We focus on how these issues are perceived through the consciousness of religious traditions whose ethical codes are based on writings, moral teachings values and traditions that are buried in antiquity. General principles can be derived from such sources that assist theologians and ethicists to explore contemporary contexts in which ethical decisions have to be made. It may be useful to see how the various ancient religious traditions viewed animals in particular, as they are so often used in contemporary scientific and pseudo-medical experimentation.