Explain How Absolutist and Relativist Responses Would Differ to the Issues Surrounding Cloning.

Explain how absolutist and relativist responses would differ to the issues surrounding Cloning.

Kantian ethics provides an absolute response in dealing with the issue of cloning. Kantian Ethics disapproves of stem cell cloning, Kant stated that people are not meant to be used as a means to an end, (2nd maxim) and this has clear implications to using embryos for medical research and for the destruction of embryos that are unwanted after IVF treatment. Also if there was a universal law (1st maxim) based on the medicinal use of embryos, then it would rule at natural birth, as all embryos would be used for medical science or for scientifically assisted births. Kantian ethic’s approach to the issue of cloning is common amongst most absolutist theories as it allows for little compromise in regards of situation of future circumstances.

Natural moral law, another absolutist theory, at a glance suggests that cloning is evil. An act must be inherently good or at the least indifferent before it can be performed, therefore for example the act of abortion is inherently evil and shouldn’t be allowed to take place, this is also is applicable to human cloning as the process of the removal of embryos is natural and is an evil act. The primary precept of protecting and preserving life would lead to secondary precepts such as do not abort or do not use embryos for medical research, and these rules would be expected to be followed and never broken. However is could be argued that if the embryo is considered not to be a person then it would be good to use it for medical reasons as this in turn would mean that human life was being preserved.

Both these absolutist theories, for the most part, disagree with the use of cloning, however this is not the case with relativist’s theories such as situation ethics. Based on the idea that situation ethics isn’t an advocate of words such as “always” or “never” it is possible to see situation ethics as not being condemning of cloning like...