Since representatives of Clonaid announced on Dec. 27 that they
had successfully engineered the birth of the first cloned human
baby, the subject of human cloning has re-emerged as a major topic
for public debate. The Clonaid claim has yet to be verified -- but
in the meantime, legislatures and courts around the world are
scrambling to address the legality of human cloning efforts.
Americans are largely unified in their agreement that cloning
efforts designed to result in the birth of a human being should be
illegal in the United States, but levels of agreement differ
between men and women, and by age group. The public is not,
however, universally opposed to all kinds of cloning efforts. Many
distinguish between cloning human cells for medical research and
organs and body parts for medical transplants, and that designed to
result in the actual birth of a human being.
In a May 6-9, 2002, Gallup Poll*, a majority of Americans (59%)
said they favor the cloning of human organs or body parts for use
in medical transplants. A majority (51%) also favored the cloning
of human cells from adults for use in medical research. Support for
cloning of human embryos for use in medical research was somewhat
lower, with 34% in favor. Support for cloning to result in the
birth of a human being was even lower (only 8% were in favor).
Women and Older People Oppose in Greater
Numbers
A Jan. 3-5, 2003, Gallup Poll** found that just 11% of Americans
believe that cloning designed specifically to result in the birth
of a human being should be legal in the United States, while 86%
think it should be illegal. Women, however, are less likely than
men to say that human cloning should be legal (7% compared to
15%).
Younger people -- those aged 18 to 29 -- favor the legality of
human birth cloning at about twice the rate of people aged 65 and
older (15% versus 7%). Middle-aged Americans (those 30 to 49 and 50
to 64) fall in the middle, with 10% and 11%, respectively,
supporting human cloning. Younger people tend to feel more
comfortable with technology and innovation than older people do,
which may help explain such age group differences. Given those
differences, support for cloning could increase as the younger
generations age.
Key Points
The vast majority of Americans do not favor cloning efforts
designed to result in the birth of a human being, and almost all
would like to see such efforts made illegal in the United States.
Yet, a majority of Americans feel that making all cloning research
illegal would create missed opportunities for medical research. In
the scramble to establish laws regulating cloning technology, it
seems that most Americans would want to see regulations that
carefully differentiate between different types of cloning efforts,
rather than simply banning all types of cloning regardless of its
intended purpose.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,012 national
adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 6-9, 2002. For results
based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95%
confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is
±3%.
**Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,000 national
adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Jan. 3-5, 2003. For results
based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95%
confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is
±3%.
