2009 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2009. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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So if it were not illegal to clone a human the scientist did not have any ethical dilemmas to do so, do we have the current technology to do so?
     Jonathan Gitlin, Ph.D.: I keep abreast of developments in the field of genomics and genetics, and the policy implications of those developments. I conduct analyses on programs undertaken by NHGRI and prepare reports that are used by the institute, the Department of Health and Human Services, and members of Congress for determining future research priorities and for funding. Yes, possibly. Despite the legal and ethical issues with human reproductive cloning, there are some scientists out there who are trying to do just that, although so far there have been no successful attempts verified.
University of Iowa in WI (12th grade student)

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