Pros And Cons Of Cloning

There have been recent studies on animals where the scientist cloned the animals. Cloning is something many people are split on. Some say it is bad some say it is good. I think cloning is a bad thing. Cloning can be a bad thing in many ways. I will be covering some of those ways in this paper.

Recently the world has turned its attention to a new development in science, cloning. Cloning is defined as “the process of producing a clone” (Dictionary.com). This has become a big deal because the endless ways we can bring back extinct creatures. Such as, the extinct wooly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and Quagga. With the endless ability to bring back animal from the past with DNA there comes a problem. With human DNA made available so easily science has come to the idea and process of making designer babies. A designer baby is a baby whose genetic makeup has been selected in order to eradicate a particular defect, or to ensure that a particular gene is present. A family gene might be a bad disease which a baby might get when born. Before this, cloning a baby was science fiction idea to people. It was never imagined or even thought possible, but now it is not. Scientist have already started to create ways to clone babies. With this comes the problem of how far should scientist go? This could be both a blessing and a curse.

There are many good reasons to both develop cloning and incorporate it into modern medicine. Human cloning is extremely beneficial, but there are some downsides. Many of the problems are ethical in nature. Matthew Nisbet involved the public in his article. He polled the public on their opinions about human cloning and stem cell research. He found that “The public appears to have strong reservations about research that destroys embryos”

There are many arguments against cloning. Leon R. Kass bases his argument on repugnance in his article The Wisdom of Repugnance. He is a well-known physician, educator and scientist. Kass perceives cloning as offensive, grotesque revolting, repulsive and wrong. To establish his argument he states, “Most people recoil from the prospect of mass production or human being, with large clones of look-alikes, compromised in their individuality.”1 His rationale is cloning is unnatural, because it is asexual and requires only one parent. Kass believes that cloning turns natural procreation into a manufactured process, which is not natural or moral. In his essay he also points out that cloning will also change the way we see ourselves through our

Cloning is a number of processes that are used to create genetically identical copies of an organism. Researchers have cloned a number of biological materials, such as genes, cells, tissues and whole organisms, including sheep 's and horses. Cloning can happen naturally in identical twins, but it can also be done in a lab. ("Cloning Fact Sheet").

the cloning of mice. This is one of the first successful cases of cloning on record. However, in

After weighing the pros and cons of both sides, one can fairly state that reproductive cloning isn’t justifiable since it is exceedingly dangerous because of the consequences from it. There is a high failure rate because the process can have complications. In fact, the cloned individual can have serious developmental abnormalities and serious health risks. Lastly, the cloned individual can die shortly after birth.

Cloning is an often discussed topic among the masses. This could range anywhere from a children’s television show, to an intense debate between two influential figures of the science world. As interesting of a prospect that cloning is however, the ethics behind such a scientific process would result in many negatives in this world. Some examples of why the cloning process should be abandoned are as follows: the cost to research and produce these clones is astronomical, and could be used for more beneficial prospects; if the purpose of creating these clones is for organs, science is close to being able to do without creating a life that will end immediately; the likelihood of a genetic mishap in one of these clones is very prevalent; and finally, the amount of discrimination against these clones would likely drive some to suicide or depression, as well as potential lynchings or other hate crimes. For these reasons, and many more, Humanity cannot allow itself to fall into the temptation of creating “artificial” people.

Clones are organisms or individuals whose DNA is identical. Cloning can happen through natural process, in identical twins, or artificially in lab. Even though scientists have been successfully cloning animals since 1996, human cloning is yet legal and prioritized in research in numerous countries (“The Life of Dolly,” n.d.). Many religions and societies view artificial human cloning as unethical and against the nature. Some fear that human clones might be enslaved and used for exploitative purposes, while others find human cloning diminishing and belittling to individuality (“Pros and Cons of Human Cloning,” 2016). Lewis Thomas (1974) strongly states, “The cloning of humans is on most of the lists of things to worry about from Science, along with behaviour control, genetic engineering, transplanted heads, computer poetry, and unrestrained growth of plastic flowers.” (p.67). Nevertheless, human cloning is not as insane and ridiculous as depicted by the popular culture, religions, and the society. In fact, research on human cloning should be a priority for it aids the process of human evolution, encourages advances in reproductive technology, and gives people the opportunity to have or rebuild a family.

From merely shaking two-celled embryos of a sea urchin to human embryonic stem cells being created by somatic cell nuclear transfer, genetic modifications continue to improve. In 1885, Hans Adolf Edward Dreisch, found that he could get two sea urchins by shaking the two-celled embryos. After this discovery the progression of genetic modifications led to the conflictions concerning the ethics of this process. Too much time and money has already been wasted on cloning. Human cloning, and those practicing it, would cause the controversy to go worldwide and continue to be a debate even today. Human cloning should not be up for debate, it should in fact be banned worldwide.

The focus of this paper is to determine if cloning is a major breakthrough in scientific research. Many aspects of cloning are explored, to make an informed conclusion with proper justification. Starting with an overview of cloning and the techniques used to clone. Followed by a famous and controversial example of animal cloning. Then a breakdown of the pros and cons of cloning, cloned animals in the recent past and discussing the future of animal cloning. Concluding by considering the importance of cloning, to evaluate the impact it has on science.

Cloning can be defined as the process by which individuals identical to an adult organism are obtained asexually. With the recent techniques of cloning, science has succeeded in obviating that cloning could be possible. Science has contributed to easing of humans’ problems since its proper understanding in the early 19th century. Without scientific discoveries and breakthroughs the world we see today, the technological advancements, couldn’t have been possible. One of the outcomes of the science that have increased the chances of survival of mankind of this planet is the cloning. Fertilization appeared to be science fiction-such as the creation of new sexed individuals outside the realm of sexuality, with no fusion of gametes has been demonstrated as a certifiable reality. To this day, only sheep, mice, cows, goats and pigs has been cloned. In animals, the first ever example of successful cloning appeared in the form of Dolly Sheep, that was a clone produced by Dr. Keith Campbell of Scotland in 1997 using nucleus from cultured cells of an older sheep. Due to the use of older sheep’s nucleus, Dolly survived only for six years and died in 2003.

Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of an existing, or previously existing, human being or growing cloned tissue from that individual (Science Daily). It does not occur naturally. Cloning used to be a subject that would only arise in science fiction novels and movies; now it is one of the most controversial topics today and becoming a reality. Cloning has came up in popular movies such as Star Trek Nemesis and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (“Best Clone Movies”). If human cloning has been featured in movies such as these, what makes this so unacceptable? What’s the harm in having a clone of yourself walking around? Plants and animals have already been successfully cloned (“10 Advantages and”). The next step is… humans. Human cloning violates human rights and morals. “If we fail to ban all forms of human cloning, society’s continued ability to regulate or ban future scientific research will be seriously diminished in the name of autonomy and utilitarianism” (Weldon). Human cloning is unethical and should stay banned.

Human cloning for medical research is just another argument whether or not it is good or bad. According to a 2017 National Human Genome Research Institute article, "The term cloning describes a number of different processes that can be used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity." (National Human Genome Research Institute). Medical research states that the cloning can help medical breakthroughs could save endangered species from extinction, or it could even cure baldness. However, cloning could also cause different amounts of problems. Cloning is harmful to humans because it can cause health risks, can cause emotional distress between families, and it could be used for evil.

When you think of cloning what does your mind begin to think about? It thinks of the cloning of humans, and many people are unhappy with the fact that this may be coming soon. However, some people still like the benefits that could come with cloning. Human cloning should give us many unbelieveable medical