Cloning Human Beings Essay, Research Paper

The cloning of human beings has been an issue that many people believe strongly in. The cloning of animals such as cows and sheep have already been successful, and many people think that the cloning of human beings is just the next step. This, however, has not gone over well with the government of the United States. Recently, a hearing has been underway to decide whether cloning should be legal in the United States. In fact, President George W. Bush has said that he will do everything possible to ban human cloning. The issue here should not be whether human cloning should be legal, because it should. The government should instead implement rules and regulations to regulate and police cloning research and development. Cloning is not a horrible science experiment, but a monumental scientific development.

Many people look upon the idea of human cloning with fear and disdain. Many do not realize that the cloning of human beings could be beneficial to the human race. Many researchers involved in cloning experiments believe that cloning could offer a way for infertile couples and other couples a way to reproduce, when they otherwise could not. Cloning could offer the gift of life to those who might not be able to obtain it by other means. No one is saying that this would be the best way to reproduce, but it could be a valid option to those who wish. Another case in which human cloning may be acceptable could involve a child who needed an organ such as a kidney, or bone-marrow transplant. If cloning were an option, the parents could choose to clone the child in order to produce another who could donate whatever is needed. This is a possible option and does not mean that it would be an actual implication of cloning.

Human cloning also offers a possibility that until very recently seemed very far fetched. Cloning offers the possibility of allowing those who are dead, in a sense, be born again. In fact, many people believe that this may be the best way human cloning technology could be used. Families could bring back a dead family member or relative. This idea already appeals to many families who have invested money and time into this new possibility. One couple who lost their baby in a botched surgery, has already donated $200,000 to the Clonaid company in order to clone their dead baby. This is not the only case; many families are saving the cells of their dead family members in hopes that one day that may be able to see them once again.

There is also an aspect which may stand as middle-ground between the two oppositions. Though people may think that human cloning is wrong, many scientists believe that human cloning research should continue because scientists might be able to develop new treatments for diseases based on cloning techniques. For instance, Dr. Harold Varmus, head of the National Institute of Health, states that cloning research might be able to help cure diseases and save lives. Researchers do not have to necessarily clone humans, but could instead use the new developments and techniques to help those already alive.

The implications of cloning technology have sparked the debate. Many question the moral and ethical aspects of cloning. Many ask if it is ethical to bring a child in to this world to replace someone else. This the same question of whether it is right to have another baby after one has died. No one is say that the child’s sole purpose is to replace some one else; the child is brought into the world to be loved. There also have been defects in animal clones and some wonder if the weight of a human life is less that that of a science experiment. Life is precious and defects could occur, that is precisely the reason the government should regulate and monitor all cloning research and development. With regulations perhaps cloning experiments may not be as harmful, and safety measures and precautions can be taken before any experimentation could be done on humans. This would also ensure that the technology is advanced enough to ensure that no harm is done. Banning cloning could possibly make it more dangerous by making such work illegal governments would lose their ability to regulate it. Daniel J. Kevles, the director of the Program in Science, Ethics and Public Policy at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., made that point in the February 26, 1997 New York Times:

As the technology evolves to invite human experimentation, it would be better to watch and regulate rather than prohibit. Outlaw the exploration of human cloning and it will surely go offshore, only to turn into bootleg science that will find its way back to our borders simply because people want it.

It would be far better to have control over human cloning then to have absolutely no power to regulate what can and cannot be done.

Human cloning is a technology that cannot be avoided. There are many ways in which people may be able to benefit from this new technology. With government regulation perhaps this technology can be put to good use and we can avoid and control problems that may arise. Human cloning is now the future in science, and the future and cannot be avoided. With cooperation and regulation we can face the future safely and benefit from it.