Illegal Beings: Human Clones and the Law

Many people think human reproductive cloning should be a crime-some states have even outlawed it and Congress is working to enact a national ban. However, if reproductive cloning soon becomes a reality, it will be impossible to prevent infertile couples and others from choosing the technology, even if they have to break the law. While most books on cloning cover the advantages and disadvantages of cloning technology, Illegal Beings describes the pros and cons of laws against human reproductive cloning. Kerry Lynn Macintosh, an attorney with expertise in the area of law and technology, argues that the most common objections to cloning are false or exaggerated, inspiring laws that stigmatize human clones as subhuman and unworthy of existence. She applies the same reasoning that was used to invalidate racial segregation to show how anti-cloning laws, by reinforcing negative stereotypes, deprive human clones of their equal protection rights under the law. Her book creates a new topic within constitutional law: existential segregation, or the practice of discriminating by preventing the existence of a disfavored group or class. This comprehensive and novel work looks at how anti-cloning laws will hurt human clones in a fresh perspective on this controversial subject. Kerry Lynn Macintosh is a member of the Law and Technology faculty at Santa Clara University School of Law. She is the author of papers, articles, and book chapters on the law and technology and has contributed to the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Boston University Journal of Science and Technology Law, and Berkeley Technology Law Journal.

Author: Kerry Lynn Macintosh
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 09/01/2005
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.29lbs
Size: 9.04h x 6.30w x 0.93d
ISBN: 9780521853286

Review Citation(s):
Choice 06/01/2007 pg. 1662

About the Author
Macintosh, Kerry Lynn: - Kerry Lynn Macintosh is a member of the law and technology faculty at Santa Clara University School of Law. She received her B.A. from Pomona College and her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She has published papers and articles in the field of law and technology in journals such as Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, Boston University Journal of Science, and Berkeley Technology Law Journal.