One of the big issues that causes many feminists to oppose therapeutic human cloning is the distinct possibility that women, particularly the most destitute women, will be exploited for their eggs. (One egg is needed per somatic cell nuclear transfer procedure.)
When S. Korean researcher Woo-Suk Hwang successfully cloned the first human cloned embryos, there were rumors that women on his research team had been coerced to “donate” their eggs (which requires an onerous medical procedure), or that other irregularities had occurred. Hwang denied it. But now, an American researcher, who had agreed to team with Hwang, has quit, citing inappropriate conduct by Hwang surrounding the human egg issue. (The researcher also stated that there were technical errors in the earlier cloning report. We will have to wait and see what those were.)
Human cloning leads to dehumanization: Of the clone, of women, and of our ethical values.
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