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What does the UMC say about human cloning?

   
A double helix is the spiral arrangement of the two complementary strands of DNA. Image by Gerd Altmann, courtesy of Pixabay.
A double helix is the spiral arrangement of the two complementary strands of DNA. Image by Gerd Altmann, courtesy of Pixabay.

The United Methodist Church opposes the cloning of humans, including the cloning of human embryos.

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Why?

Two theological principles inform the Church's objections.

First, God is the Creator, not human beings. To create human beings by cloning is to take on a role that does not belong to humans. 

And second, the fairly unpredictable and often profoundly negative outcomes of attempts to clone other species mean the state of the science of cloning remains too limited to apply it responsibly to humans. This is why not just Christians, but nearly the whole of the disciplines of genetics and bioethics are opposed to the practice of human cloning at this time. 

The official statements related to cloning and genetic science are:

 

This content was produced by Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications.
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