The Significance of Cloning Mammals on Human Cloning
Cloning has been going on in the natural world for thousands of years. A clone is simply
one living thing made from another, leading to two organisms with the same set of genes.
In that sense, identical twins are clones, because they have identical DNA. Sometimes,
plants are self-pollinated, producing seeds and eventually more plants with the same
genetic code. When earthworms are cut in half, they regenerate the missing parts of their
bodies, leading to two worms with the same set of genes. Any organism that reproduces
asexually; produces a clone. However, the ability to intentionally create a clone in the
animal kingdom by working on the cellular level is a very recent development.
From sheep to monkeys, scientist have made great strides in the past few years in
cloning mammals. The birth of these transgenered animals provides a major stepping
stone for the cloning of humans. Now groups say they are ready to clone a human being.
Controversy over their plan runs high, but scientists believe the technology for human
cloning, at least a limited type of cloning for now, is available. A revolution in
reproductive biology is now taking place, that provides technical means for cloning
humans. Many scientists who work with cloned animals say that the procedure is
difficult and dangerous and too ethical to try on humans. Therefore it is my purpose in
this paper to chronicle some events that have led to the still emerging technologies that
can be directly applicable to the of potential human cloning.
Dolly, born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland in 1996, was the first mammal to be
cloned from an adult mammal. When Ian Wilmut, Keith H. S. Campbell a...
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...rough cloning we could eliminate some disadvantages that some animal species have towards climates, or immune
“Cloning represents a very clear, powerful, and immediate example in which we are in danger of turning procreation into manufacture.” (Kass) The concept of cloning continues to evoke debate, raising extensive ethical and moral controversy. As humans delve into the fields of science and technology, cloning, although once considered infeasible, could now become a reality. Although many see this advancement as the perfect solution to our modern dilemmas, from offering a potential cure for cancer, AIDS, and other irremediable diseases, its effects are easily forgotten. Cloning, especially when concerning humans, is not the direction we must pursue in enhancing our lives. It is impossible for us to predict its effects, it exhausts monetary funds, and it harshly abases humanity.
Cloning, is it the thing of the future? Or is it a start of a new
Human cloning, some would say that its a good thing and a huge step in the future, but myself and others would think differently. It would be awesome to be the first to clone a human but it is taking it way too far. One reason is that even if you tried to clon...
Cloning has been a controversial topic since the time it was introduced, prompting questions of ethics. Although it has been unintentionally in use for thousands of years, it was first brought about in the 1960’s. As more and more discoveries have been gained since then, numerous uncertainties continue to be raised among scientists, politicians, and anyone interested in the issue. While the idea of cloning is intriguing and polarizing, there is a fine like that defines what is and isn’t ethical; it is moral to clone cells for research development and plants for agricultural desires, but it is in no way acceptable to clone humans and animals for reproductive reasons.
Throughout time, human and animal cloning has developed into a new important technology in everyday lives without always knowing it. Cloning is the process of copying or duplicating an organism. Human and animal cloning has so many different outcomes and uncertainties. It can be used for many different purposes, depending on what someone wants to use it for. People all around the world have different views on cloning. Some are against it and some are for it. However, not everyone fully understands how cloning works. Human and animal cloning will determine our future. It can improve or maybe even destroy mankind. Cloning is very important to the world because it can lead to new developments later on in the world that have not yet been thought of.
Cloning, a topic that has recently caused mayhem all over the world, is possible, but will it be here to stay? The astonishing news that scientists had cloned a sheep a couple of years ago sent people into panic at the thought that humans might be next. "Cloning is a radical challenge to the most fundamental laws of biology, so it's not unreasonable to be concerned that it might threaten human society and dignity" (Macklin 64). Since most of the opposition is coming from the pure disgust of actually being able to clone species, it makes it difficult for people to get away from the emotional side of the issue and analyze the major implications cloning would have for society. To better understand this controversial issue, the pros and cons of cloning will be discussed.
Most people argue that human cloning is not morally and ethically acceptable due to both religious concerns and long-term health problems. The notion of cloning organisms has always been troublesome because of unpredictable consequences. “Cloning represents a very clear, powerful, and immediate example in which we are in danger of turning procreation into manufacture” (C...
Cloning humans has recently become a possibility. It is achieved by the production of a group of identical cells or organisms that all derive from a single individual (Grolier 220). It is not known when cloning humans really became a possibility, but it is known that there are two possible ways that we can clone humans. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a human involves taking cells from an already existing human being and cloning them, in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. With these two methods almost at our fingertips, we must ask ourselves two very important questions: Can we do this, and should we? There is no doubt that many problems involving the technological and ethical sides of this issue will arise and will be virtually impossible to avoid, but the overall idea of cloning humans is one that we should accept as a possible reality for the future. Cloning humans is an idea that has always been thought of as something that could be found in science fiction novels, but never as a concept that society could actually experience. "It is much in the news. The public has been bombarded with newspaper articles, magazine stories, books, television shows, and movies as well as cartoons¡¨, writes Robert McKinnell, the author of Cloning: A Biologist Reports (24). Much of this information in these sources leads the public in the wrong direction and makes them wonder how easy it would be for everyone around them to be cloned. Bizarre ideas about cloning lie in many science fiction books and scare the public with their unbelievable possibilities. David Rorvik wrote a highly controversial book entitled In His Image. In it he describes the story of a wealthy man who decides to clone himself. He is successful in doing this and causes quite an uprise in his community. This book was written in the late seventies and even then, societies reaction to the issues of human cloning was generally a negative one. We face a problem today even greater than the one in this book and it involves the duplication of human beings in a society that has always been known for its diversity. The main issue as to whether or not human cloning is possible through the splitting of embryos began in 1993 when experimentation was done at George W...
Cloning has come very far through science within the last few decades. Although it is a natural part of the world, scientists have taken a simple idea and expanded it further then what was thought possible. Though cloning faces many challenges, scientists such as Dr. Richard Seed continue their research in perfecting cloning in order to benefit the world. Cloning, a controversial topic thought to do harm, but simply misunderstood. The fact is, cloning could improve life more than what can be comprehended or as Dr. Richard Seed said, cloning will be taking “humanity one step closer to God.”
Our advancements in science have enabled us to create other things that we can test on, instead of harming innocent animals. Since experiments are cruel and expensive, “the world’s most forward-thinking scientists have moved on to develop and use methods for studying
Human cloning is ridiculous. There are several definitions of cloning. Cloning is a breed specimens as a clone. Cloning is also to create an identical copy of something, or is a replicate. There are several reasons that cloning should not exist.
Last of all, Cloning is not ethical, many religious groups look down upon cloning and think it’s not proper because they think it’s like playing God. Many scientists were mainly thinking about cloning animals and, most likely, humans in the future to harvest their organs and then kill them. “Who would actually like to be harvested and killed for their organs?” “Human cloning exploits human beings for our own self-gratification (Dodson, 2003).” A person paying enough money could get a corrupt scientist to clone anybody they wanted, like movie stars, music stars, athletes, etc (Andrea Castro 2005),” whether it be our desire for new medical treatments or our desire to have children on our own genetic terms (Dodson, 2003).
Recent discoveries involving cloning have sparked ideas of cloning an entire human body (ProQuest Staff). Cloning is “the production of an organism with genetic material identical to that of another organism” (Seidel). Therapeutic cloning is used to repair the body when something isn’t working right, and it involves the production of new cells from a somatic cell (Aldridge). Reproductive cloning involves letting a created embryo develop without interference (Aldridge). Stem cells, if isolated, will continue to divide infinitely (Belval 6). Thoughts of cloning date back to the beginning of the twentieth century (ProQuest Staff). In 1938, a man decided that something more complex than a salamander should be cloned (ProQuest Staff). A sheep named Dolly was cloned from an udder cell in 1997, and this proved that human cloning may be possible (Aldridge). In 1998, two separate organizations decl...
Robinson, Bruce. “Human Cloning: Comments by political groups, religious authorities, and individuals.” 3 August 2001. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 1 October 2001 <http://www.religioustolerance.org/clo_reac.htm>.