Of course, the issue behind the book is the prospect of human cloning. Although it is only a dream as of now, there will eventually be a day when scientists break through and actually do it. It is hard for us to fathom the ethical issues that will be raised upon conception of the first clone, but we can expect a fight on both sides of the issue as to the morality that is being sacrificed with us “playing God”. I am not pretending to know a lot about cloning or how far they are in the process of finding a viable method rather, the purpose of this post is to express my concerns. First of all, the reason “Never Let Me Go” was so effective was because it shows us what our future could look like. The point at which we dive into the era post-human cloning is way after the issue of ethical cloning has been debated. Instead, the hot issue was that of the rights of clones. “Madame”, Ms. Emily, and the rest of society were waiting to see if clones had souls. If they did then it might be necessary to treat them as normal people, whereas, if they were empty shells of people then it would be alright to deprive them of the rights normal people receive. As the book closes, the issue has died down and people are turning a blind eye to the unethical way clones are treated. The sad cycle that Kathy H., Tommy, and Ruth were caught up in was unique in that they received schooling and were prepared for their roles in society. Clones not admitted to schools like Hailsham represented the alternative to the kind way Kathy and her friends were treated. Throughout their lives, they saw the shift that society demanded--from educated, well-treated clones to shells that were disregarded in light of their disposability. What I thought was wrong with the whole issue was not so much human cloning as the way they were treated. If our society does progress to the point where we have clones for harvesting, I would very much be on the side of ethical treatment for them. When I say “ethical treatment” I mean treating them as though they were real human beings. Of course they won’t be able to have all of the same freedoms that we do, simply because they have a purpose and a final destination in life, but I would like to see them eased into their roles. What the book did not express adequately was the unrest that happened, or didn’t happen, in the clone community. Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth all knew about harvesting, and we know that they weren’t kept in the dark about it so I would have liked to hear about any of the clones getting angry. How is it that all of them accepted their fates willingly? If they were at all educated about life outside Hailsham and their cloning communities then I would expect them to see the differences. Growing organs in Petri dishes are way different from the method that is brought to light in this story. Using human clones for their organs, but treating them in an inhumane way sucks the logic out of the purpose. Why not just grow organs in Petri dishes or on mice—two solutions that are possible, and much less debatable? I don’t think it is right for us to play God in saving people beyond what is meant for them. If we had clones for harvesting then there would be no shortage of organ donations, but then a lot less people would be dying. I know it sounds awful to say, but if someone was meant to die then it is disrespectful to the higher power in your life--no matter what religion you believe in—to save them. When we take all these extra steps to keep people who are very sick, alive, we begin to cross the line between fate and a total takeover of God’s job. In the end, it appears as though we control life and death, leaving nothing to chance. Now that I’ve read the book cover to cover I realize why it has been so highly acclaimed. The book is suspenseful, yet carefully incremented so that we get a complete understanding of their lives before it moves on. The telling of the story in first person led me to see the soul in Kathy so that I am still conflicted over whether they way they were treated was acceptable. I saw nothing different about the way Kathy and I come upon logic—there is clearly a step-by-step process that each of us goes through, with emotions influencing the journey. We have to remember that she is a human being and the only thing that differentiates her from me is our conception. How, then, could our race have gotten as far as it did on the road of cloning where people don’t care about what happens to people who are fundamentally the same as ourselves? It was disappointing to see our species progress that far. To think that the first human clone might be created in my lifetime is scary and I hope that our world does not see parallels with Kazuo Ishiguro’s.
