Cloning: Morality vs Science
Before stating an opinion on the presented topic, it becomes necessary to provide some background on how cloning is applied. Currently, there seems to be two applications of the cloning process: reproductive and therapeutic. In the reproductive method of cloning, a cloned embryo is implanted in the womb of a female with the intention of creating cloned offspring. An example of this method can be found in the cloning of Dolly-a lamb that was cloned by a group of embryologists led by Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell. The strategy used by this group was to replace the nucleus of an unfertilized egg with a “reconstructed” zygote from one animal and the egg cytoplasm from another animal. The process of collecting eggs, removing nuclei, and transplanting the donor cells for the clone proved to be an effective process that raised the question if humans could also be cloned.
The “therapeutic” method of cloning is much like the reproductive procedure used; however, instead of producing a cloned embryo to place in a womb, the point of this procedure is to generate stem cells-as opposed to brining an egg to full term. The purpose of this strategy is to allow creation of tissues or organs that the clonal donor can use without having those tissues or organs rejected by his or her body’s immune system.
As expected, there are various pros and cons to the process of cloning. The most common case made for cloning is the argument that the research could lead to the development of prescription drugs and medical procedures that may be able to treat human deficiencies that science is currently unable to combat. Other arguments in favor of cloning are that it may make it possible for scientists to preserve endangered species and present models of diseases that is unknown currently. Those who support cloning seem to believe that the “possibilities” within the unknown will reap great benefits for humankind.
On the other side of the argument are individuals who believe that cloning is an immoral procedure and that humans have no right to play God. Besides the possibility of cloning eventually becoming easily accessible and people abusing the science, many individuals believe that experimenting with human life and possibly creating human clones that are deficient or disease-ridden is morally unjust. Another aspect of cloning that cannot be ignored is that it may involve the destruction of embryos-which deters individuals on a fundamental moral basis.
After reviewing the info, I have a split opinion on the topic of cloning. I have decided that I am against reproductive cloning, but do support therapeutic cloning and stem cell research. No matter how optimistic I try to be with the topic of reproductive cloning, I find it cruel and unjust to clone a human being with the intent not to let it develop freely as any human would, but to treat it more as a living object to extract data. I also fear that if the cloning of humans becomes a huge success it could eventually have an impact on human reproduction. Stem cell research and therapeutic cloning provides great opportunities to help patients and has the potential to provide great amounts of new information while keeping it at a cellular level (without developing the embryo into a full human being).
