Jurassic Park is Real: Cloning of Extinct Animals Problematic

Just this week the Centre of Food Technology and Research in Spain brought back from total extinction the Pyrenean ibex, a form of wild mountain goat that was officially declared extinct in 2000. But shortly before its death, scientists preserved skin samples of the goat in liquid nitrogen by using DNA taken from these skin samples. The scientists were able to replace the genetic material in eggs from domestic goats to clone a female Pyrenean ibex. It is the first time an extinct animal has been cloned. This process is also known as Somatic Nuclear Cell Transfer or SCNT. The cloning of the extinct goat has been hailed as revolutionary from the scientific community. It should instead give us all great pause. It’s especially problematic on two fronts.

One is the natural order of the Universe under God that has once again been thrown a curve ball by man. Very soon with this technology there will be no extinct animal, fish or plant that could not theoretically be cloned and brought back to life. God has laid out a plan for the world that includes survival and extinction. A plant that releases deadly gases or a predator fish that wipes out other fish species could be two examples. Not possible you say? Even in modern times, scientists have introduced species from one region of a country into a new ecological environment that have proven faulty. Kudzu is a perfect example. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Soil Conservation Service promoted kudzu for erosion control. While kudzu does help prevent erosion, the vines destroyed valuable forests in the southeast by preventing the trees from getting valuable sunlight. Now 70 years later, kudzu is a predator destroyer of other plants. Who caused this? Scientists did this by taking a plant from Japan and introducing it here for erosion control. Finally, there is a great ecological concern over the introduction of new species, like fish and plants into water. The integrity of these ecosystems should be conserved by responsible land management techniques.

The other issue is the standing moral argument. When we clone, have we taken God out of the equation? This concerns me. Humans after all these years on the planet still do not understand the Laws of Unintended Consequences. When will we bring back an extinct species of man? Will we be tempted to bring back a grandfather or great grandfather through cloning? Do you think science will stop with just plants and animals? I guarantee they will not. When there are no moral absolutes, free will and relativism will take over.

Professor Robert Miller, director the Medical Research Council's Reproductive Sciences Unit at Edinburgh University, is working with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland on cloning projects. He said, "I think this is an exciting advance as it does show the potential of being able to regenerate any extinct species.”

Professor, are we now smart enough to bring life into this world on our own? Do we understand the ramifications of our actions? I predict that cloning someday will be that perfect storm of disaster unless we take steps now to educate everyone on the moral implications of our actions.

The natural and providential order of life and life cycles is not something we should experiment with because this experiment will have devastating consequences!