Clones are nothing more than
identical twins, possibly born at different times.
(A better way to say this would be to say that identical twins are clones that are born together.)
Who you are depends on your upbringing as well as your genes. Geneticists know that the genotype influences, but doesn't set, the phenotype. Presumably, if you wanted to bring up clones to be as similar to each other as possible, you'd want to raise them together and at the same time, to give them as close an environment as possible.
Suppose that I become some kind of billionaire with an ego a mile high (it is left to the reader to determine which portions of the scenario are realistic and which are not). In the best tradition of poor SciFi, when I turn 60 I decide to raise ariels2 which will be my exact copy. Won't those flying cars zooming by (not to mention the ads in the magazines for luxury cruises to Jupiter and Saturn) have any effect? Won't ariels2 turn out to be a very different person?
How can I possibly recreate the environment in which I was raised? Where am I going to get another copy of my parents, my friends, my guinea pigs?
Jaez' concerns would be better placed with the commodification of human beings. Presumably parents should not use their offspring as vehicles for achieving preset goals and "fixing" their own failings. But isn't that always true? How is a clone any different?
I have 2 possible endings for this writeup. Pick whichever you prefer:
- Parents don't need licenses.
- If you want to copy yourself, stick your head in the photocopier machine and press the green button.