Guest opinion
California should ban cloning of pets
By Jennifer Fearing

Last November my beloved Labrador, Davis, died unexpectedly. I was distraught. He was special, a spirited ball hound who charmed everyone. Had somebody offered me Davis’ exact replica, in my grief I may have been interested.

In California, two companies are marketing cloned cats and one is marketing cloned dogs, despite the fact that no dog has ever been successfully cloned. These companies promote DNA banking to preserve the genetic qualities of your beloved pet. In the past three months, one company sold two cloned kittens and announced it will "drop" the price from $50,000 to $32,000 each.

Clearly these companies intend to make a commercial business out of manufacturing pets. But people who buy these animals are in for an emotional ride. Scientific studies show that cloned animals do not always look or behave like the animal that provided the DNA and there is no guarantee about health oddities that may befall these kittens.

While the price tag is high for consumers, it is even higher for animals. Cloning is an inexact science, as even those who practice it admit. Studies show that cloned animals rarely survive pregnancy and birth. The few who do survive suffer serious health problems and often die young. Dolly the sheep developed terminal lung cancer at age 6. Sheep typically live 11 to 16 years.

Other animals are used as "surrogates" to give birth to cloned animals. They undergo repeated invasive procedures, like having embryos surgically implanted and fetuses extracted. Because these companies are unregulated, the public has no way of knowing if the animals used to produce cloned pets are treated humanely, how many are used and what happens to them.

What is the justification to allow even one of these animals to suffer? Unlike claims made for animal research, there is no societal benefit to offset their use here. At the same time, while companies attempt to manufacture pets, an estimated 1 million animals are euthanized each year in California shelters. Why do we need more?

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) has introduced AB 1428, a bill that would ban the sale of cloned and other genetically modified pets. Please urge your legislator to support AB 1428 to protect customers from expensive exploitation and stop companies that profit from useless animal suffering.

Jennifer Fearing is president of United Animal Nations, a founding member of Californians Against Pet Cloning. Read more at website www.NoPetCloing.org.