The Pros And Cons Of Human 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.

Animal cloning started without the world even knowing. First, an animal clone is “an exact physical copy of one ‘parent’” (Newman 12). “Animal cloning experiments began in the 1960’s. Frogs were the first subjects. By 1987 scientists had begun cloning cows and other mammals” (Newman 12). Dolly the sheep was the first big cloning success, credited to Ian Wilmut in 1996 (Praded 21). This sheep was a scientific breakthrough, but it also caused many people to question the intents of scientists. Many people wondered if scientists would clone humans next. The original intent of animal cloning was not for the food industry. The reason animal cloning started was to find a way to help cure currently untreatable diseases (“Why Do Scientists Clone?”). By cloning cells, scientists will be able to manipulate the cells to become something new.

The recovery period after large scale injuries could be shortened. The effects are analyzed in an article that states, “True healing could occur thanks to the cloning of their own cells to help the recovery process” (“Pros and Cons” 5). Basically, the process of cloning healthy cells could be used as an aid in replenishing damage of unhealthy cells. This process, if it were to be actualized, could help recovery progress in anything from pulled muscles to the paralysis of an entire limb. In theory, the same research can be applied in other areas. If this technology is paired with stem cell research, it could result in a method of repairing physical damage. An article that focused on advances in biotechnology stated that “Another use of cloned stem cells could be the growth of replacement tissues in the laboratory” (LaPensee 15). Necrosis, apoptosis, and lymphocyte diapedesis all cause tissue damage or death. These tissues could be replaced by cloned cells of healthy tissues. This shortens recovery periods and leads to healthier tissue growth.

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

For starters, cloning has said to solve the continuous problem of infertility by inserting a clone embryo into the woman’s body. This guarantees infertile couples a child, as opposed to wasting time and money on other painful and emotional procedures that don’t offer this guarantee. The next benefit offers an immense amount of growth in regenerative medicine and assists those with physical disabilities by producing clones of themselves. Why clone themselves if they have a disability? Scientists can use cells from the embryo to customize the regeneration of the new organ, tissue, or body part. As far as cloning an organ goes, this benefits the millions of people who acquired a disease with no cure. For example, diseases such as Alzheimer’s,

The first example of cloning was done in 1885 by a German biologist named Hans Adolf Edward Driesch. Dreisch showed that by shaking two-celled sea urchin embryos, it was possible to separate the cells. Once separated, each cell grew into a complete sea urchin.

since the 1800’s. But what exactly is cloning? In her article, “Animal Clones”, Emily Sohn

Is it right to transplant someone else’s organ into another body who’s in need of one, is it wrong to clone other organisms to gain certain genes to benefit humans for survival. This has been a controversial topic for a long time now. People are arguing if it’s wrong or right to transplants other people organs from the earlier scientific development. Now there is a new issue about cloning, whether it is right or wrong to make a copy of an organism.

The cloning of humans is now very close to reality, thanks to the historic scientific breakthrough of Dr. Ian Wilmut and his colleagues in the UK. This possibility is one of incredible potential benefit for all of us. Unfortunately the initial debate on this issue has been dominated by misleading, sensationalized accounts in the news media and negative emotional reactions derived from inaccurate science fiction. Much of the negativity about human cloning is based simply on the breathtaking novelty of the concept rather than on any real undesirable consequences. On balance, human cloning would have overwhelming advantages if regulated in a reasonable way. A comprehensive ban on human cloning by a misinformed public would be a sorry

Scientific experimentation has led us to many great discoveries such as: Chemotherapy, heart surgery, and bone marrow transplants. Recently scientists have discovered a new way to heal humans. This is known as cloning. Although they have yet to clone a human they have cloned sheep. Cloning has brought up a huge controversy among the American people. There are two sides to the story. Either you agree with cloning or you don’t. The only way to help make that decision is to look at the good and bad points of cloning.

Cloning an animal has always been one of the most futuristic and technological advancements there has ever been in the world. Before the first mammal was cloned people thought the day of cloning a living organism would be far long from the twentieth century, and people said that it was a futuristic thought and would never become a reality. However,

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.

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.