Cloning Ethics Essay, Research Paper

The rapid development of the technology for cloning has led to moral debates

around the world on whether or not to ban creating human clones. With the

advancement of clone technology two states, California and Michigan have already

banned the cloning of humans. "Everybody who thought it would proceed

slowly and could be stopped was wrong, said Lee Silver, a professor from the

University of Princeton (McFarling) . . ." Without proper research on

behalf of the politicians of California and Michigan, the premature ban should

be reconsidered and appealed. Cloning could provide a way for infertile couples

to produce children genetically similar to themselves, a method of creating

spare organs for transplants, and a cure for genetic disease. Human cloning may

provide numerous benefits to mankind and should not be banned. Cloning is the

Creation of another person that is an exact copy of another person (Clarke);

this leaves too much to the imagination and leads to misunderstanding of the

methods scientists use in cloning. In more clear terms, cloning is the process

in which DNA of a female egg is replaced with different DNA from another cell.

This process is referred to as the Nuclear Transfer or Nuclear Substitution. DNA

molecules are the strings of protein that hold genetic coding. In this

operation, the nucleus, which is the part of the cell that contains the DNA, are

carefully removed from an unfertilized female egg then replaced with the DNA

from the cell of another person (Harris). The egg with the DNA from another

person is then manipulated into believing it has been fertilized and is

implanted into the womb of the mother just as is done in the process of vitro

fertilization. Afterwards the fetus develops and is born after nine months, just

like a natural baby (Dumesic). What this means is that the clone shares only the

same DNA as the person from which it was cloned. It shares none of the same

memories, knows none of the same people, and it will experience completely

different things. The clone is like a much younger identical twin. The person

and the clone of the person share the same genetic structure, which means the

clone will look the exact same as the original. Studies have shown that

identical twins who are raised apart often share similar personalities and

intelligence, even though possessed of entirely different experience and

background. A mixture between two people’s genetic structure could provide a way

for infertile couples or homosexual couples with a way to create a genetically

related child. There are many couples in the world of which one of the partners

is unable to naturally donate his/her genes for the purpose of procreation. Only

through cloning technology will they be able to give birth to a child that is

related to them genetically. Ensuring that the families genes are passed on to

future generations would be more appealing to parents than adoption or using

sperm and eggs from an unrelated donor. In late 1997 Richard Seed announced that

he would attempt to create a child using cloning technology, and his post

menopausal wife would be carrying the child. "Seed, with no medical

credentials or funding, is not expected to succeed (McFarling) . . ." It is

possible to create a full human being by cloning, but the clone does not have to

develop into a full human. Inhibitors can be injected into a growing clone so

that only certain organs will be produced. This process does not require a

mother to carry the child for 9 months, and can be done in a laboratory petri

dish. This gives doctors a way to create "spare parts" to be used in

transplants. The major problems with transplants today are organ rejections; it

is important to find a donor that matches certain criteria so that the immune

system does not destroy the organ. For example, a liver can be grown outside the

body using the patients own DNA and used in a transplant without fear of

rejection. This will eliminate the need for anti-rejection drugs and provide for

a healthier recovery. Simple tissues such as skin cells have already been cloned

in laboratories for use in skin grafts for burn victims. Other things that have

been cloned include blood clotting factors for hemophiliacs, and plans to create

specialized nerve cells to repair brain damage have begun (McFarling). Another

possible medical advance that could be developed further through cloning

research is the early diagnosis and even the curing of genetic diseases such as

diabetes and heart disease. A method called gene therapy is being developed by

where a solution is injected into the patient; Once inside, the solution alters

the area of the DNA where the disease is and fixes the problem (Blaese).

Diabetes is a disease in which the cells cannot accept sugars from the blood

without the help of insulin from either injection or oral pills. Diabetics could

undergo gene therapy, and insulin could start being produced naturally again.

Other products that are needed by humans, could be artificially produced by

animals through cloning and genetic engineering. Genes from humans that produce

necessary proteins, for example, could be included in the animal DNA so that the

animal would produce that protein in its milk or blood. The protein could then

be extracted and used in human treatments for various diseases or disorders (Dumesic).

This could also lead to a prevention and or cure for AIDS and cancer. A few

people have successfully continued to live with AIDS or cancer, and in some

cases the disease has gone away. Part of their genetic structure has

strengthened the immune system to the point that it rids the body of these

diseases. Their genes could be used in gene therapy, and help to strengthen

peoples immune systems so they too can rid their bodies of these diseases.

Genetic defects could also be cured with cloning technology. A genetic defect is

a mutation in which the DNA has been altered and caused an abnormality in the

body. People who wish to have a child, could be tested for possible mutations in

the DNA, and a genetic solution could be created and injected into the still

developing egg (Blaese). Mutations are natural, but when it causes an

abnormality it is a hard thing for a person to live with. Through cloning

technology, genetic defects could be treated to the point where the person

affected could live a normal life. The call for the ban of human cloning has

been premature in the development of the procedure. The benefits of cloning are

innumerable to the medical field and could revolutionize potentially fatal

procedures. Humankind could benefit greatly from this new technology, and it

should not be banned. If God was the original "cloner" when he created

Eve from Adam’s rib, and Jesus was a clone of god. If we are wrong in cloning,

would not God also be?