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Morality of human cloning
Ethical issues with cloning
Do the advantages of cloning outweigh the disadvantages
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Recommended: Morality of human cloning
What about Cloning?
Pros
1. If you can clone the vital organs of a human body, they can then be used as a backup if a body organ were to fail.
2. Cloning in humans can help infertility. Cloning may also make it possible to reproduce certain traits or qualities in human beings.
3. Cloning may also help fight genetic diseases by helping researchers understand the composition of genes.
4. We can also obtain customized organisms by cloning, which will help the health benefits of society.
5. Cloning can enable the genetic alteration of animals and plants.
Cons
1. Cloning is a process that can lessen the diversity of genes .
2. Cloning might cause more malpractices (are you sure you want to use this word or perhaps malpractice suits instead??) in society by causing reproduction of undesirable traits.
3. The potential technical and economic barriers that cloning will have on society. Will cloning be cost-effective and will it reach the common man?
4. Is cloning moral and ethical? Will it devalue mankind?
5. Is it risk-free to emulate God?
There are three different types of cloning. The first way involves using specialized DNA to produce multiple, exact copies, of a single gene. The next type of cloning is the natural process of cell division, which makes many copies of an entire cell. Lastly, the third type of cloning produces complete, genetically identical animals. Many different types of animals have been cloned thus far. Just to name a few, there have been: cats, dogs, pigs, sheep, tadpoles, and even fruit flies. Not to mention, we have been cloning plants for decades as well; this process is known as "vegetative propagation." We have not cloned human beings so far, but it may be possible in t...
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... only available to the very wealthy. This type of experimental reproduction would not be available to mainstream society.(Only 3 sentences- need to add one more.)
In conclusion, there are many reasons why I don't believe cloning will be an everyday practice in the future. The cost of cloning animals is so high that scientists do not want to spend money to clone an animal for food. They will however, clone an animal for breeding and use the offspring for food. The moral issue of cloning is, in my opinion, the biggest one. Do we have the right to play God? I understand the usefulness of cloning plants for food usage but I strongly do not believe that we have the right of creation in cloning humans. This argument will obviously become a larger issue as the process of cloning gets perfected.
Very good. I learn from each of your papers – I hope you are learning too.
Kevin T. Fitzgerald divided potential scenarios for using cloning technology into three categories: "Producing a clone in order to save the life of an individual who requires a transplant; making available another reproductive option for people who wish to have genetically related children, but face physical or chr...
Another perk to cloning is that we could possibly alter animals to give more effective products, or more desirable products. For example a herd of sheep in Montreal have a gene in their DNA that lets them produce spider silk through their milk. It is said that bulletproof vests can be made from this silk. Just imagine the possibilities if we were able to create such animals. By using the cloning process, they can make many products that can be helpful to the environment and the people.
“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 has been in nature for thousands of years, a clone is a living thing made from another consisting of the same DNA. For example identical twins are clones because they have the same DNA but the differ because the twins begin after conception when a zygote, a totipotent stem cell, divides into two, some plants self-pollinate and produce a seed, which in turn, makes plants with the same genetic code (Hyde). According to the Human Genome Project there are three types of cloning, DNA, therapeutic and reproductive; DNA cloning involves transferring DNA from a donor to another organism, therapeutic cloning, known as embryo cloning, involves harvesting stem cells from human embryos to grow new organs for transplant, and last is reproductive cloning which creates a copy of the host (Conger). One of the earliest cloned animals was a sea urchin by Hans Dreisch in the late 1800’s. Unlike Victor Frankenstein, Dreisch’s goal was to prove that genetic material is not lost in cell division, not to create another being, (History of Cloning) stated by Frankenstein “that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.” There are many ways an animal...
But on the contrary, many scientists believe that cloning can be such a positive achievement, not only for medical purposes, but for fighting extinction. For example, what if they could clone many of the endangered species that exist today? There are very few hundred of many beautiful animals that if something isn’t done to save them, they will be extinct in a few years. So if scientists could successfully clone and create these endangered species, although it would still depend on the clone maturing correctly and being able to reproduce successfully, it could be a great
There are some rewards and disadvantages to utilizing human reproductive cloning. One advantage would be giving a woman who was not able to find the right person to have a child with, the child she had wanted. In “Mothers by Choice” there are many professional women, who before, would have to settle with ”Mr. Okay” to have a child (Munson 335). Now, marriage is not necessary to allow working women a child and they would not have to settle or put their ambitions to the wayside.
Human cloning destroys individuality and uniqueness. “What makes people unique is the fact that we have different genes and cloning would lose these important parts of our bodies makeup.” There would be less of a variety of people and everyone would be the same. This would not only be the good qualities, but also the bad that would pass on. Since clones and the original donor will look alike and have the same DNA, it would be nearly impossible to tell the difference. Overtime, they would lose their individuality and uniqueness. For example, say a crime was committed.
In "Human Cloning? Don't Just Say No," Ruth Macklin states that while human cloning might not offer any benefits, no one has yet made a persuasive case that it would do any real harm either.
There are many opinions on the topic of cloning, particularly on the controversy of human cloning. Lots of people have many fears over if we should continue this form of study, whereas others think that this technology should be pushed forward with high hopes. However, no side should rule out the other, but instead, should compliment one another. Both arguments should be heard and acknowledged before any decision is made towards this new area of study. For example, many people think that their fears are unanswerable and should cause the absolute ban on cloning.
... of reproductive cloning is that in the future, it may be a solution to infertility, where a baby containing the genes of both parents could be artificially created, which will help the millions around the world who are unable to have children. Another benefit of cloning is that plants and animals can artificially be produced in large quantities directed at human consumption, which may, in the future help world hunger. Nutritionally superior or more “predictable” plants can also be created which will which will benefit us health-wise, and save farm costs. Lastly, the main advantage of cloning is that, through organ transplantation (therapeutic cloning), lives can be saved or prolonged, for those who have defective organs. For these 3 reasons, it’s a no brainer that scientists should continue extensive research and experiments for the better of our society as a whole.
Secondly, “the most the human race has to loose by playing around with cloning is that the genetic diversity would be lost (Andrea Castro, 2005).” Reducing the genetic differences will produce clones that are grossly overlarge, many animals will be born with genetic mutations, and there will be a higher “risk of disease transfer (Saskaschools, 2003). “A review of all the world's cloned animals suggests that every one of them is genetically and physically defective (Leake, 2002).” Mutations will be passed on to the younger generation because if a cloned species has a mutation in their DNA this mutation will be passed on. Cloning has been linked with diseases of ageing, arthritis and, cancer.
John A. Robertson’s article “Human Cloning and the Challenge of Regulation” raises three important reasons on why there shouldn’t be a ban on Human Cloning but that it should be regulated. Couples who are infertile might choose to clone one of the partners instead of using sperm, eggs, or embryo’s from anonymous donors. In conventional in vitro fertilization, doctors attempt to start with many ova, fertilize each with sperm and implant all of them in the woman's womb in the hope that one will result in pregnancy. (Robertson) But some women can only supply a single egg. Through the use of embryo cloning, that egg might be divisible into, say 8 zygotes for implanting. The chance of those women becoming pregnant would be much greater. (Kassirer) Secondly, it would benefit a couple at high risk of having offspring with a genetic disease choose weather to risk the birth of an affected child. (Robertson) Parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic defect to a child could make use of cloning. A fertilized ovum could be cloned, and the duplicate tested for the disease or disorder. If the clone were free of genetic defects, then the other clone would be as well. Then this could be implanted in the woman and allowed to mature to term. (Heyd) Thirdly, it would be used to obtain tissue or organs...
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...
One of the most beneficial aspects to cloning is the ability to duplicate organs. Many patients in hospitals are waiting for transplants and many of them are dying because they are not receiving a needed organ. To solve this problem, scientists have been using embryonic stem cells to produce organs or tissues to repair or replace damaged ones (Human Cloning). Skin for burn victims, brain cells for the brain damaged, hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys can all be produced. By combining the technology of stem cell research and human cloning, it will be possible to produce the needed tissues and organs for patients in desperate need for a transplant (Human Cloning). The waiting list for transplants will become a lot shorter and a lot less people will have to suff...
Genetic Engineering may or may not be beneficial. In terms of being an advantage, it can help decrease the death rate by destroying disease and has the potential to increase the lifetime of humans. Based on what scientists have discovered , genetic engineering is used as a beneficial technique to slow down the aging process of people, meaning it helps to store more life existence. Cloning is one of its biggest successful advantages which developed a whole new discovery in today’s life making life more interesting and easier. This cloning process has made it pos...