Q Our grandmother Tihayi is very attached to an oldish pet dog whose life is ending. Can one clone that pet to provide her the continuation of a most needed support that seems essential for her will to stay alive.. (Although, dog cloning is extremely expensive, Granny and our family can afford it).
Does Halacha permit it?
A. To clone a dog or cat, scientists have to conceive new life in the lab, a double of an original. They take eggs harvested from donor animals, remove the nucleus (imagine separating yolk from egg white), and insert cells from the original pet.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, the egg then contains the full genetic material from the original pet. It doesn’t need to be fertilized by sperm. But in order to kickstart cell division—something fertilization usually does—scientists run an electrical current through the egg turning it into a growing embryo.
The embryo is then surgically inserted into a surrogate mother dog or cat. If the embryo is accepted, pregnancy follows, and the hope is that the surrogate mother gives birth to a cloned kitten or puppy that’s healthy. Like with normal breeding, the cloned pet is ready to go home after it’s weaned. (Eric Leon).
Although, clones look very similar to the animals from which they were cloned, they are not exactly the same. They are usually compared to identical twins. Temperament and personality is only partly determined by genetics; a lot has to do with the way an animal has been raised and the particular experiences it went through.
Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is that in principle, if no Tzaar Baal Chaim (causing pain to an animal) is involved, cloning animals when needed is permitted.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller, Horav Dovid Pam and Horav Aharon Miller Shlit'a.
Important Numbers
