The Risks of Cloning

The table above reveals a sobering truth about cloning in long-gestation mammals: despite many decades of research since Dolly the sheep in 1996, the failure rate remains exceedingly high, often above 90%, across diverse species. These failure rates include embryo loss, developmental abnormalities, and health complications, risks that cloning technologies like somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and gene editing have yet to overcome.

S.B. 2025 introduces a necessary moratorium in Texas on cloning and genetic modification of mammals with natural gestation periods longer than 250 days because these animals face disproportionate welfare risks. The bill prohibits knowingly initiating or allowing pregnancies using SCNT or gene-edited embryos in such animals, bans transportation of covered animals pregnant by these methods into Texas, and forbids breeding animals born from prohibited cloning pregnancies.

Human cloning is banned primarily due to profound ethical, scientific, and safety concerns. Scientifically, cloning is an extremely risky and inefficient process, with animal cloning experiments consistently showing failure rates above 90%, high rates of fetal and newborn death, and severe health complications in clones that do survive. Ethically, human cloning raises serious questions about human dignity, identity, and the potential for exploitation, as cloning could lead to children being produced as genetic copies without consent or as means to an end, such as spare body parts. Many countries and international organizations call for a ban because allowing human cloning could lead to irreversible social and moral consequences, including the manufacturing of humans and the commodification of human life. The only effective approach to prevent these risks and abuses is a comprehensive legal ban on human cloning, as partial or selective bans are difficult to enforce and could enable dangerous experiments and exploitation.

This legislation also addresses the urgent need for transparency, noting that though some companies claim higher cloning success rates, publicly reported data consistently show failures near or above 90%, and operators rarely disclose the total number of embryos created or implanted. By halting high-risk cloning practices until their safety and efficacy can be ensured, and by providing enforcement through criminal penalties and license sanctions, this bill safeguards animal welfare and ethical scientific standards.

Texas takes this precautionary stance to prevent unnecessary animal suffering and protect its agricultural and ecological heritage while monitoring scientific advancements responsibly. The moratorium is set to expire in 2031 with a mandated review to evaluate its impact and future necessity.