Cell Cloning Essay, Research Paper

What first comes to mind when the word cloning is used? Weird sci-fi

movies, mad scientists, and futuristic themes? Well, the idea of

cloning has been experimented on since the 1970?s with frogs and toads, and

the cloning of plants hasn?t been any big thing. The controversy over

this issue was sparked by a miraculous event on July 5, 1996. This is

the day ?Dolly? was successfully cloned, using a method of somatic cell

transfer, from an adult sheep. She was born on September 23, 1997, and

it was the start of the controversy.

As soon as the birth of Dolly was announced, the Clinton administration

issued a moratorium that bans the use of federal funds for any project

involving human cloning, and asks the newly appointed National

Bioethics Advisory Board to address the ethical and legal issues surrounding

human cloning within three months. Then, six months later, President

Clinton proposed a legislation banning the cloning of humans for the next

5 years. Shortly afterwards, about 64,000 biologists signed a voluntary

five year moratorium on human cloning.

Although many people bring up ethics when talking about cloning, they

always seem to overlook the positive aspects of human cloning. For one,

human organs could be cloned to provide an infinite supply of donor

organs that would identically match the patients other organ. This would

save the body wear in accepting a new organ, and provide a higher

success rate in organ transplanting. Another big problem that may be solved

through human cloning is Cancer. Using the cloning technology,

scientists would be able to unlock the secrets behind cancer and its rapid cell

growth. The list goes on, including regeneration of human tissue,

research into obesity and why it affects some, and maybe even find a way to

get rid of it, and scientists could use embryo splitting to get rid of

genetic diseases.

Socially, cloning gives parents the option to make a perfect clone of a

lost child and it gives infertile couples the chance to have their own

child instead of adopting. Another plus, is you can choose your

personal qualities with this method of fertilization.

Such is life, there is an obvious down side to this. A black market of

stolen sells would most likely be created to sell cells. Also,

magazines may be started to showcase the bodies that may be created using

cloning. It would take cells from attractive, healthy people, and sell them

to people who desire them. This would allow people to pick and choose

qualities, instead of letting them fall to chance like nature intended.

This could lead to a human race of ?perfect? beings.

Obviously, human cloning needs much regulation, but it could be an

advantage in the medical field to scientists and doctors. Maybe in the

future, this research could create cures to all major diseases, but until

then, we have to decide for ourselves weather it is ethical or not to

clone human cells.