Did you know that animals are used for testing purposes, such as cloning? Animals are undergoing cloning methods for scientific purposes and are even being brought back to life in the form of a clone in order to please grieving pet lovers. Cloning animals is very unethical and it is a highly controversial topic. Cloning allows for the suffering of animals and it does not create an exact replica of an animal; therefore, it is unethical.
In simple terms, cloning an animal is using science to create a similar, if not identical, version of an original animal. Unfortunately, cloning an animal is not as simple as it may seem and it is unethical, especially because the suffering of animals is very common in the process. Animals that are undergoing cloning processes are essentially becoming genetically engineered. According to Elisabeth Ormandy, an expert on the topic of genetic engineering, the definition of genetically engineered animals is “an animal that has had a change in its nuclear or mitochondrial DNA… achieved through a deliberate human technological intervention” (544). The reason that cloned animals fall under this category is because they are “animals that have undergone induced mutations... and cloned animals are also considered to be genetically engineered due to the direct intervention and planning involved in creation of these animals” (Ormandy 544). According to John Woestendiek, the author of Dog Inc., a novel that describes the process of dog cloning, said “the practice [dog cloning] is based in South Korea because it's a country with much lower ethical standards for the treatment of dogs than is the United States” (Harris Kinga). Animal cloning is clearly unethical if it is primarily performed in a country that trea...
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...n animal that is very similar to the deceased pet. There are always animals at the pet shelters that need a home. Instead of creating clones of pets that are bound to suffer, adopt a new pet at a pet shelter.
Works Cited
Harris, Dan, and Kinga, Janik. "Cloning Fido: South Korea's Dog Cloning Industry Raises Ethical Red Flags." Abcnews.go.com. ABC News Network, 07 Jan. 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Kim, MJ. “Lessons Learned from Cloning Dogs.” Reproduction in Domestic Animals 47.4 (2012): 115-119. Wiley Online Library. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Ormandy, Elisabeth H. “Genetic engineering of animals: Ethical issues, including welfare concerns.” The Canadian Veterinary Journal 52.5 (2011): 544-550. PubMed. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Satris, Stephen. "Is Cloning Pets Ethically Justified?" Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Moral Issues. 13th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. N. pag. Print.
Kass, Leon, and James Q. Wilson, eds. The ethics of human cloning. American Enterprise Institute, 1998.
McGee, Glenn, (2001). Primer on Ethics and Human Cloning. ActionBioscience.org. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from: http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/mcgee.html
---. “Animal Cloning—How Unethical Is It?- Final Draft.” UTSA: WRC 1023, 7 Mar 2014. Print.
This is explained by Craig Freudenrich. He discusses this on the website HowStuffWorks. Freudenrich tells of how Ian Wilmut and his colleagues successfully cloned Dolly the sheep at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland. Dolly the sheep was the world's first successfully cloned mammal, cloned from an adult somatic cell. He writes how after Dolly, scientist have been cloning animals like cows and mice. “They rely on transplanting the genetic information from a specialized cell into an unfertilized egg cell, whose genetic information has been destroyed or physically removed.” (How Cloning Works) This information is very enlightening to anyone who questions how cloning works. Furthermore it secures the information needed to inform the general public of what they need to know to have a responsible and appropriate
In the past, cloning always seemed like a faraway scientific fantasy that could never really happen, but sometimes reality catches up to human ingenuity and people discover that a fictional science is all too real. Such was the fate of cloning when Dolly, a cloned sheep, came into existence during 1997, as Beth Baker explains (Baker 45). In addition to opening the eyes of millions of people, the breakthrough raised many questions about the morality of cloning humans. The greatest moral question is, when considering the pros against the cons, if human cloning is an ethical practice. There are two different types of cloning and both entail completely different processes and both are completely justifiable at the end of the day.
Philips, Trevor. "Human Self-Interest Will Ensure That Animal Experimentation Continues." The Independent (25 Apr. 1998). Rpt. in Animal Experimentation. Ed. Cindy Mur. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2011.
The world is quickly reaching carrying capacity, which according to Edward O. Wilson is about ten thousand vegetarians, and we do not have enough food to provide for that number of people (Wolchover). According to At Issue, from the SIRS database, animal cloning is a form of reproductive cloning, the process of creating an exact replica of an organism or cell asexually. (At Issue). Some may say that animal cloning is unethical or that it is unnatural. I however, say that this is not true, animal cloning is done by a means which, unless your moral guidelines are more strict than the MLA format, should be perfectly ethical. Also, aside from the retrieval of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from the donor animal, it is entirely natural. You may be thinking “how is choosing what animal gets reproduced natural” it is natural because aside from the artificial extraction of DNA, the animal is birthed naturally. Not only is animal cloning both
Both processes also differ in the sense that reproductive cloning has fewer advantages when compared to therapeutic techniques. Studies have consistently made evident the fact that genetically cloned animals have shorter life spans, as well as an inferior quality of life. Consequently, they also lack in genetic variation, which makes the organism more susceptible to disease, and other obstructive circumstances. Contrarily, therapeutic cloning is employed for medicinal purposes, and therefore, ethical implications are quite easy to justify. The continuing practice of therapeutic cloning in relation to stem cell research, can potentially alleviate and cure many incorrigible diseases, which is a significant benefit. Reproductive cloning on the other hand, could be described as a practice instigated to fulfil the many scientific curiosities mankind possesses, and does not have a legitimate reason as to why it is
Imagine a world where everyone looked like you and was related to you as a sibling, cousin, or any form of relation, wouldn’t that be freaky? Although cloning is not an important issue presently, it could potentially replace sexual reproduction as our method of producing children. Cloning is a dangerous possibility because it could lead to an over-emphasis on the importance of the genotype, no guaranteed live births, and present risks to both the cloned child and surrogate mother. It also violates the biological parent-child relationship and can cause the destruction of the normal structure of a family. The cloning of the deceased is another problem with cloning because it displays the inability of the parents to accept the child’s death and does not ensure a successful procedure. Along with the risks, there are benefits to Human Reproductive Cloning. It allows couples who cannot have a baby otherwise to enjoy parenthood and have a child who is directly related to them. It also limits the risk of transmitting genetic diseases to the cloned child and the risk of genetic defects in the cloned child. Although the government has banned Human Reproductive Cloning, the issue will eventually come to the surface and force us to consider the 1st commandment of God, all men are equal in the eyes of god, but does this also include clones? That is the question that we must answer in the near future in order to resolve a controversy that has plagued us for many years.
In this paper, "cloning" refers to a process begun when an enucleated oocyte receives a complete set of genetic material from one adult of the same species, and then develops. The resultant cloned embryo is genetically identical to the adult supplying the DNA. Thus, cloning differs from sexual reproduction, in which half the genetic material of the fertilized egg is supplied from the oocyte itself and half from the sperm. It is also different from "twinning," in which an egg, once fertilized sexually, splits into two genetically identical zygotes, each of which may develop into an embryo. In February 1997, Dr. Ian Wilmut announced the birth of Dolly, the cloned offspring of an ewe. If it is possible to clone sheep, why not then humans?
Cloning has become a major issue in our modern world, from moral, ethical, and religious concerns, to the problem of financial and government support. Human cloning is one of the most controversial topics, and because of this, many of the new important discoveries and beneficial technologies have been overlooked and ignored. Reproductive cloning technology may offer many new possibilities, including hope for endangered species, resources for human organ transplants, and answers to questions concerning cancer, inherited diseases, and aging. The research that led up to the ability to clone mammals started more than a century ago. From frogs to mice to sheep to humans, reproductive cloning promises many possibilities.
Throughout Emily Anthes’ book Frankenstein’s Cat, the topic of animal experimentation assembles the entire book. The chapter “Double Trouble” displays the topic of cloning. The chapter talks about Dolly, the first animal to successfully be cloned, a cloned cat named CC, and even a South Korean puppy. The chapters describes the process of how the animal cloning became possible, and how many trails the scientist went through before the cloning became successful. With the success of cloning also comes the complete failures. Hundreds of animals died in the process of cloning, but as long as success comes, scientists continue to make those sacrifices. This chapter also focuses on cloning to replace a dead pet; however, the pet might not develop
National Bioethics Advisory Commision. "The Risks of Human Cloning Outweigh the Benefits." Biomedical Ethics Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1998. 23-35. Print.
In recent years our world has undergone many changes and advancements, cloning is a primary example of this new modernism. On July 5th, 1995, Dolly, the first cloned animal, was created. She was cloned from a six-year-old sheep, making her cells genetically six years old at her creation. However, scientists were amazed to see Dolly live for another six years, until she died early 2005 from a common lung disease found in sheep. This discovery sparked a curiosity for cloning all over the world, however, mankind must answer a question, should cloning be allowed? To answer this question some issues need to be explored. Is cloning morally correct, is it a reliable way to produce life, and should human experimentation be allowed?
It has long been debated as to whether it is ethical to use animals for experimentation. When considering whether animal research is ethically acceptable or not two main concerns must be raised. The first issue is whether it is absolutely necessary to use animals in order to acquire information that may contribute to the improvement of people’s health and well-being. The second issue is whether the use of animals is defendable on a moral ground.