Through the Looking Glass: The Case for Human Reproductive Cloning

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In the summer of 1996, an animal unlike any other was born unto the world. Roughly three feet high and covered in an insulating material, there were countless others that looked nearly identical freely roaming the countryside. But this animal was special; it was precisely identical to one of its brethren. Dolly the sheep was the first ever manmade clone, an exact copy of its genetic donor. In the fifteen years since the birth of Dolly cloning technology has been improving at a steady pace, and now humanity as a whole is at an impasse: human clones. Scientists are very close to being able to clone a human being, but should they? A ban on human cloning issued by the World Health Organization is in place (World Health Organization 1) but it is non-binding in nature, and individual governments must come up with their own cloning policies. For the United States, the choice is obvious: the federal government should not place a ban on human reproductive cloning. There are numerous reasons for this, such as the notion of cloning as an alternative to adoption, the elimination of disease, the possibility of continuing life after death, and the possibility of an improved quality of life for the clones themselves. At the same time, there are arguments against human cloning, mostly centering on moral issues, that must also be addressed. The first argument in support of human reproductive cloning is that it could be used to provide children to those who cannot have them through biological means. Infertile or same-sex couples who wish to have children face a dilemma: other people must always be involved in order to have a child. Adoption is the obvious choice, but the child is not genetically related to either parent. Those who wish to have a ... ... middle of paper ... ... 10.(2005): 50-55. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. Choi, Charles Q. "Cloning of a Human." Scientific American 302.6 (2010): 36-38. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. Havstad, Joyce C. "Human Reproductive Cloning: A Conflict of Liberties." Bioethics 24.2 (2010): 71-77. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. MacDonald, Chris. “Yes, Human Cloning Should be Permitted.” Apocalypse:Bright Future/Dark Future. Ed. Patrick F. Bolen. New York: Pearson, 2011. 325-328. Print. Simons, Janet A., Donald B. Irwin, and Beverly A. Drinnin. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Psychology: the Search for Understanding. St. Paul: West Pub., 1987. Print. World Health Organization. "Reproductive cloning of human beings: status of the debate in the United Nations General Assembly." WHO.int. World Health Organization, 2004. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.

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