An Afterthought on Cloning...

In "Never Let Me Go" by Ishiguro, I thought there was a very powerful scene at the end of the book when Madame told Kathy that she was weeping because of a new world coming rapidly; a good, but harsh world at the same time (Ishiguro, pg 249). Madame was talking about a world where science had progressed so fast that people did not have the time to stop and think about the implications that progressive science would have on society. Specifically, Madame was referring to the effects of cloning on society's morals, ethical concerns and livelihood.

I wonder how clones would be treated if they were allowed to roam freely among us in everyday life. Would they be treated the same, or as second class citizens? Would they receive equal rights compared to "normal" people? On the other hand, would science start to make clones that were "superhuman" and make "non-clones" look insignificant in comparison?

There is also the question of love and acceptance for clones being submerged into society. For example, imagine if a family needed a clone to be able to save the life of the first child. Would not the clone feel that the parents loved him/her (it?) less than the first "normal" child and wouldn't this have serious implications on the clone's psychological beings? It is common knowledge that a child that is "unloved" will have serious psychological damage and this will have effects on how they treat others and in their future relationships. It is also important to note that a child brought into this world (or created in this case) in the absence of love goes against the moral fabric of society. I am not saying that a family clone will be less loved; however, it cannot be ignored that a "saviour child" brought into the world to be willingly flayed open for their family's organ needs is a serious dilemma for the question of parental love.

If the clones were given equal status and love as "normal" children, would not the parents feel bad about killing the clone for their organs? Also, what if the clone was the one who needed an organ transplant in the end? Would the parents be as willing to sacrifice a "normal" child's organs for the clone? I think that this probably would not be the case.