Cloning: Right or Wrong
Submitted by SerendipUpdate on Fri, 01/04/2008 - 11:51am.
Biology 103
2000 First Web Report
On Serendip
Cloning: Right or Wrong
Julie Kwon
With the advancement and expansion of technology science has been able to achieve new wonders. These improvements and discoveries in science have allowed the human race to explore and learn more about the world. One such phenomenon is cloning. Cloning has opened the doors to explore human beings in a way that was once never possible. With cloning the human body, as well as other organisms, will be studied. Cloning and genetic engineering will both come into play to improve scientific knowledge, but is cloning beneficial?
Cloning attempts has occurred as early as 1952, and the first successful transfer of embryonic cells occurred in 1970 (1), (5). Ian Wilmut, the scientist famous for the "Dolly" cloning experiment has paved the way for a completely different thought. There were other organisms that were cloned but what made "Dolly" unique was that instead of cells being taken from an embryo "Dolly" was created by using DNA from an adult ewe(3). The process of cloning was discovered to be simpler than what was thought. The first step is to take the cells from the udder of a Finn Dorset ewe and place them in a culture with low concentrations of nutrients causing it to starve and ultimately stop cell division and active genes (3). While this is occurring an unfertilized egg cell is taken from a Blackface ewe with its DNA filled nucleus taken out leaving a nucleus free egg cell that will later produce an embryo (3). Next with the aid of an electric pulse the cells from the udder of a Finn Dorset ewe and the unfertilized egg cell with no nucleus is fused together to begin cell division which will later turn into an embryo which will be placed in the uterus of another Blackface ewe(3). Eventually the Blackface ewe will give birth to a new genetically identical Finn Dorset ewe(3). With the creation of "Dolly" the doors of human cloning has opened the controversy and complications of cloning.
The cloning process is not yet perfected nor one hundred percent accurate, in fact, it took Ian Wilmut more than 277 attempts before the successful creation of a "healthy viable lamb" (1). Furthermore, Ian Wilmut explains that mistakes where made in his procedure and there is uncertainty whether a fetus or adult cell was used in his steps of creating "Dolly" (1). Cloning of humans will be a much more difficult task and a huge risk where a number of things can go wrong causing malformation and diseases in the human body (1). It involved a slightly different process where a somatic cell must be taken from the female. These somatic cells will be harder to work with because they are specialized cells where genes are "turned off" and unable to turn back "on" (1). In addition, the "human clone" will be a "time-delayed identical twin" (1). Because of these complications and imperfections the government has taken action with the proposal of the Cloning Prohibition Act of 1997 by President Bill Clinton (1), (4). With this bill there would be no "implantation of cloned cells into the human (1). President Clinton believes that "any discovery that teaches upon human creation is not simply a matter of scientific inquiry but also a matter of morality and spirituality" (1). In addition to the actions of the President the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) agrees that no human cloning shall take place because at the present time it is not justified to produce a human child by the cloning procedure used to create "Dolly" (1), (4). The NBAC stresses that there is potentially a greater risk with human error as well as having numerous failed attempts before creating a perfect clone (1), (4). They are concerned about the psychological damage and the disappearance of individuality if human cloning became a common practice (1). Both the President and the NBAC find it morally wrong and currently inappropriate to put human cloning into practice.
There are numerous ways where cloning will further aid in scientific development and help the advancement of scientific knowledge of humans. Human cloning can allow rebirth of deceased humans, cure diseases especially those related to genetics, and discover new data and ideas (2). It can prevent endangered species from disappearing as well as allow healthier human beings(2), (5). It will allow doctors to research and determine the cause of spontaneous abortions as well as research rapid cell growth of cancer cells (1). (2). New organs that genetically match the recipient may be produced as well as allow regeneration of nerve tissues and other damaged tissues, and further study in genetics, human body development, and medicine (1). (2). (5). Agricultural and livestock can also be improved where scientist can alter clone organisms with preferable better traits or ideal characteristics (2). All this will allow the people of science to have an in depth research of the human body.
What is the downfall of human cloning? One would be the world lack of genetic diversity (2). The world will become an ideal living environment with "perfect people" that are all genetically alike (2). It may also instigate fraud and bad practice as the Black Market gets involved in selling stolen or defected clones (1). Because cloning is generally a new process and still in it's early stages there would be many uncertainty and risks (1). The procedure may actually cause more deaths in human beings where physical harm can be done to an embryo as well as a child. Because a perfect human being can be created, humans that do not have the desired character traits will not be socially accepted(1), (4).
"Opponents and supporters of human cloning agree that at the current time the technology is not safe enough to use on humans" (1). With the facts given it is evident that human cloning should not be practiced in the near future. Looking at both the advantages and disadvantages you observe that the advantages will further aid development and advancement of science and the disadvantages show that it will greatly affect moral and social issues. Though human cloning will improve the science society and the human race there is a far greater risk involved in cloning humans. Furthermore, with the active involvement of government prohibiting human cloning and the controversy surrounding this issue it is an unjustified procedure to practice. Therefore, unless technology has improved to perfect the cloning procedure as well as an understanding of the moral issues behind human cloning is observed there should be no human clone present in our society.
WWW Sources
1)Human Cloning2)cloning
4)National Bioethics Advisory Commission
Comments made prior to 2007
your document 'right or wrong' on human cloning
really helped, It was straight to the point and easy to understand ...
Kiara, 24 February 2006
WHY I THINK ITS WRONG
GOD MAKES BABIES AND NOT PLASTIC PETRE DISHES
god makes dirt
god makes dirt
what do you mean?
when you say "GOD makes dirt" what do you mean?
god?
if god made us and we make petri dishes, then god indirectly made petri dishes.
The real question is: what does this have to do with cloning?
i agree
i agree when you say GOD makes babies not petre dishes...like if we were meant to be more than one person, than GOD wouldv'e made us twins or triplets...so i totally agree with you
i would like to say in
i would like to say in reaction to the comment 'god makes babies not petri dishes' that i hate to burst your bubble, but god doesnt exist. how can we live in the 21st century and still believe this fairy tale?!
OBJECTION!!
We know what happened for the last 2000 years. Great inventions and discoveries were made. How can you not acknowledge that there is a God behind all of this? Can you really say that everything we have today, all of nature, all the beauty, the earth, came by sheer chance?
the risks
It will be risking human lives by human cloning. it took the sheep dolly 277 trys and many sheep died in the prosses. Do we realy whant to put human lives in jeperdy JUST so we can find out if it is possible?
ya,lives that wouldent even
ya,lives that wouldent even be there if we didnt try to clone so what is the diffrence?
That makes no sense, because
That makes no sense, because they would try it on humans until they got it right. You're foolish to think they would try something as cloning on a human if it wasn't 100% safe.
Even if they think it is
Even if they think it is perfect something could happen and kill a human. Its not right to experiment on animals anymore than it is right on humans.
reasons for no human cloning
think about what would happen if we cloned people like bush, do we really want another person who can not speak correct english
risk
Well we deffinatly dont need another hillary clinton but it doesnt matter because they shouldnt do it. most of the clones die anyways. and when they dont die they have major health problems. so basically all cloning is doing is using up money.
this is wrong
we are playing the role of god and how is cloning going to help us all it is doing is hurting us
Cloning- Not just a scientific Enquiry! Horror!
It is great achievement for scientists to perform clone,from results, cloning produces imperfect creatures. Humans must not be cloned, it is not only dis-respect upon the dignity of man but also to the Almighty Creator.
We might emplore the highly developed minds of the homo sapiens to explore how diseases are cured using the clone, but all men must remain mortal. Anything having a beginning also have an end therefore cloning humans(Imagine that) for any reasons remains un-acceptable and horror.
"any discovery that teaches upon human creation is not simply a matter of scientific inquiry but also a matter of morality and spirituality" Bill Clinton.
WHY WOULD YOU?
ok well first of all its the stupidest thing ever!! and why would you want someone exactly like you? that would get way annoying! and why do we need more people in the world that commit crimes? ITS SO DUMB! god made us who we are and if your different than everyone else than OBVIOUSLY thats how your supposed to be...you cant just go to the doctor and say "change my child..there not perfect." NOBODY is perfect so to all you dumb people out there i think that you should stop doing all this genetic engineering and GET A LIFE! DUH!..................................P.S..all you people that think genetic engineering is cool..ITS NOT! so let the kids be who there supposed to be! not who you want them to be...
clones
why wouldnt you make a clone it is perfectly fine. and when you say ooo your killing someone your wrong because it is only a bundle of about 100 cells. We kill hundreds of cells just swallowing or itching our skin.
we agree!!!!!!!!
reproductive cloning is sooooooooo...... wrong, who wouldn't want to be unique and we shouldn't have the right to decide who some one turns out to be!!!!! But we're all for theraputic cloning!!!!!!!!!! whoop whoop :-)
total agree......
cloning's just wrong, why don't some people see this, i'm doin my Gcse's on cloning and some of the stories we've studyed are horrable and so inhumane wat is this world coming to? z-( guuurrrrrrrrrrr....
HUMAN CLONING IS WRONG
even if u say that its not killing people so human cloning still should be done, it doesnt really matter! why would someone want a clone of themselves wen they kno that the cloned person will not react in life like normal ppl?
it is completely wrong. and think of it this way? why would humans create humans? thats not right....its only Gods right to do so bc the power of creating a human is completetly not a human thing to do. anyways, even if now lets say we were able to clone ppl, they will die right away, not being able to live more than a couple of yrs. if ppl are already cloning animals nd the animals r dying rite away from diseases, than imagine wat wud happen to the human that is clones. that human clone will die right away nd other than that, he/she will not react like we normal ppl react that were created from GOD.
human cloning is completely wrong, nd ppl r out of their minds if they agree with it.
The concept of human cloning
The concept of human cloning does not necessarily refer to making an identical copy of a human being, but it can refer to making copies of certain cells, which can lead to improvements in the research of cancer and other diseases. It is not pointless. Cloning can save many lives and also improve scientific knowledge and understanding, but unfortunately this comes at a cost, as there is a very low success rate.
i dont really get it
wouldn,t it be good if you needed a kidney and scientists could clone 1.
but killing a feotus is a bit harsh.
...what?
I have read all the comments...
How do you KNOW there is a God? You don't. You just have faith in the fact that he may be real. But, you do not know. Which means, you shouldn't base your reason for something being wrong on religion. Freedom of religion is a beautiful thing, we shouldn't restrict scientists because of our religion. I believe in God but I still think we should let scientists clone whatever they want.
You are aware that a clone comes out as a baby, correct? Which means, like any other baby, it's environment determines if it fits in with other beings. Clones are just genetic copies of a previous being. So, unless the first thing was born a psycho killer, the clone wont come out as a psycho killer UNLESS they grew up the SAME EXACT way.
"Humans don't make humans"...WHAT?!? Thats called SEX. When 2 humans, a man and a woman, love each other very much, they get married and the man puts his sperm in the woman's egg. That process makes a baby. TADA! Humans making humans. God may help but God would also help the petri dish create a baby too!
What I'm saying is, if you're going to disagree, please back it up with something TRUE and don't base it on your religious BELIEF.
Heres a real religous person talking.
I would have to agree that people do make people in a way...but God made the man and woman in the first place so they could reproduce...so actually God still "made" people...but anyways cloning is unethical in most respects...to make a clone you have to kill an embryo by taking out the nucleus and put it in another one...and this whole cloning process isn't perfected, not even close...when dolly the sheep was cloned 277 embryos died and only one attempt was successful...ONE of 277...so by what some of you are saying, it doesn't matter if 277 people die, "let science do what it wants"...if u r religous like u say u r then how could u stand to let embryos(future people) die?...dolly developed arthritis and lung disease and died at a very early age...so we also won't care that people(clones) are dying at early ages or have to live with many diseases?........on another note...will these clones have soles? will they go to heaven as "non-cloned" people do? i don't know...no one does but God himself...y mess with natural reproduction? its not worth all the arguing and debate.
confused.com
well, we think reproductive cloning is wrong because because it is creating a damaged version of a living organism(which is just rude!) but theraputic cloning is fab because people benefit loads and it cures diseases!!!!!!!!!!!
Would you really won't another you?(we like being unique !!!
Thoughts of a Teenager
im a GCSE student, and im doing courswork about human cloning, and wether it's right or not. and, i may only be 15, but i have my own thoughts too.
first of all, i agree that God does NOT exist. its great you have someone to believe in, but i myslef believe we weren't made by God.
but i also believe cloning is wrong. i'm for theraputic cloning, but cloning to get another one of us?? not because it'll get 'anoying', but because by doing so we will become a 'perfect' world, and thats not what we need. also, we wont move onwards in the world as much as before. we wont be able to adapt to our new world if it changes. and cloning would mean more people, right? there are already too many people in this world. more than there ever has been. so why do we need more? cloning is just a way for humans to prove we can do what people believe God can do. and humans in general do what they can without thinking properly of the consequencis. we all do it, so dont deny it.
thats what i believe. as i said i am for theraputic cloning, but otherwise i am against it. i also dont agree with what they do while cloning on animals. they have just as strong a right to be living. we use them as puppets, throughing their lives away. whats the point??
i'm not saying i hate those who agree with it. youre not evil, just human. some agree, some dont. thats life.
im only 15, yet i have a strong belief. surely you do too? i would like to hear what you think. it will also help with my coursework.
reply to a teenager.
Yes i am also a student, 15 case study.
your veiw of god is too influenced by others, not 'him' or 'her' or even someone.
i bevive god is refered to as force, keeps thing changing 'evolution' or studies faults then influences people to 'change'. abit like mother nature only bigger.
Yeah I agree human cloning 'can' be wrong but also it has great benefits and there are pros and cons to everything, so we must use human cloning to the best of our ability without abusing our privlage of modern technology.
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