I should have seen it coming.

According to Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, “Based on [the] FDA’s analysis of hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and other studies on the health and food composition of clones and their offspring, the draft risk assessment has determined that meat and milk from clones and their offspring are as safe as food we eat every day.”

Let’s clone our way to a baseless existence that lacks a sense of ethics all together. Let’s clone the best of the best, breed them and then kill their babies so ethically retarded consumers can eat their way to a gluttonous, morally reprehensible lifestyle.

Okay, perhaps I’m being slightly dramatic. But animal cloning is a reality I wasn’t ready for and one that people don’t seem to care very much about. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention.

So here are some of the reasons as to why I feel my concerns are justified:

1. Animal cloning for the purpose of producing high-quality meat and dairy is wrong in so far as creating life in order to destroy it for an unnecessary whim or human desire is unwarranted and (dare I say) excessive.

2. I realize some of you may disagree with point one and say that we are carnivores (and other arguments of the like), and some will hastily reply, “it tastes good!” To this logic I ask you: To what extent is meat an absolutely necessary part your diet? That is, can you survive on a meat-free diet? (For most the answer is “yes,” but let’s move on.)

3. Even though animal cloning might allow for high-quality animals with superior genetics, it is not financially feasible for everyone. It’s difficult enough for small (organic) farmers to compete with farming giants, but to introduce scientifically engineered copies of their “best” animals might deliver a terrible blow to the small farmer.

4. The impact cloning might have on animal breeders would devastate top-quality breeders of horses and other competition animals who might not have $16,000 (or amoral tendencies) to clone their highest-earning thoroughbred horses, cutting horses or prize-wining steers. (In return, the rich will continue getting richer… Sounds like the same old sad song and dance. )

5. Let’s unnaturally advance the genetic traits we want in our dinner. Darwin is probably rolling over in his grave right now. Cloning may be evolutionary in some regards, but one must weigh the benefits of humanity’s ability to “evolve” by perfecting the quality of food it consumes and humanity’s inability to ethically evolve. (And this coming from an atheist!)

Perhaps you could not care less about the ethical implications of cloning or the production and murder of animals in general (so long as you get your Big Mac). But I would like to think that humans, even on the most elementary level, care about life, whether it be your life, your dog’s life or the life that was your burger. It’s not my job to judge your actions; I’ll leave that up to you. But at least practice your ability to show concern.

By bringing into question the need for certain human actions and by questioning whether those actions dehumanize or if they improve the general welfare of the world we can learn to progress and evolve in the most beneficial and uncompromising manner possible.

Think about it!

About the writer:

Betina Matoni is a senior SMU student. She can be reached at [email protected].