Genetic Cloning Essay, Research Paper

In the past couple years, the topic of genetic cloning has been under heated debate by people all over the world. This debate began when Scottish scientists cloned a sheep named Dolly. The event made headlines around the world and was seen as the beginning of the end for the human race, as we were dawning on a new era in science, one that was to be filled with immoral acts that were seen as scientifically impossible a few years ago. Some believe that cloning is unethical and unnatural, and should not be allowed, while others saw opportunities to find cures for major diseases and chances to clone body parts. The United States has banned genetic cloning of any type, whether bacterial or human. Cloning should be legalized, because many breakthroughs can be made through cloning in the finding of cures for medical ailments including cancer, heart attacks, spinal cord injuries and defective genes, and in the cloning of body parts using human stem cells to replace nonfunctioning ones and to replace cosmetic surgeries.Through genetic cloning techniques, we may learn how to switch cells on and off through cloning and thus be able to cure cancer, a malady which affects millions of people around the world. In addition, scientists believe that they may be able to treat heart attack victims by cloning their healthy heart cells and injecting them into the areas of the heart that have been damaged. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. Furthermore, we may learn to grow nerves or the spinal cord back again when they are injured. Quadriplegics might be able to get out of their wheelchairs and walk again. Christopher Reeves, the man who played Superman in the classic movies, might be able to walk again. Another reason why cloning should be legalized is because the average person carries eight defective genes inside them. These defective genes allow people to become sick when they would otherwise remain healthy. With human cloning and its technology, it may be possible to ensure that we no longer suffer because of our defective genes. Thus, cloning should be legalized within the United States for use in regards to medical purposes and the discovery of cures to many human ailments.Cloning of body parts can lead to a breakthrough for people with malfunctioning body parts or physical impairments. Embryonic stem cells can be grown to produce organs or tissues to repair or replace damaged ones. Skin for burn victims, brain cells for the brain damaged, spinal cord cells for quadriplegics and paraplegics, hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys could be produced. By combining this technology with human cloning technology it may be possible to produce needed tissue for suffering people that will be free of rejection by their immune systems. Conditions such as Alzheimer s disease, Parkinson s disease, diabetes, heart failure, degenerative joint disease, and other problems may be made curable if human cloning and its technology are not banned. With the new technology, instead of using materials foreign to the body for procedures such as plastic surgery, doctors will be able to manufacture bone, fat, connective tissue or cartilage that matches the patient s tissues exactly. Anyone will able to have their appearance altered to their satisfaction without the leaking of harmful chemicals into their bodies or the other problems that occur with present day plastic surgery. Victims of terrible accidents that deform the face should now be able to have their features repaired with new, safer, technology. In addition, limbs for amputees may be able to be regenerated.

It is clear that human cloning has enormous potential benefits and few real negative consequences. A major argument against cloning can be refuted by the following definitions: Human cloning is not the same as human genetic engineering. In human cloning, the DNA is copied to create someone who is an exact twin of an existing person, and consequently not a monster or a freak. Human genetic engineering would involve the modification of human DNA to create a person who may be unlike any person who previously existed. This could lead to the creation of very unusual individuals, even monsters. Cloning is tame in comparison with genetic engineering. Genetic cloning could be the biggest breakthrough in the medical and biological world since the discovery of penicillin. It could lead to the cure of various fatal diseases which affect millions of people in the world. It could make the dreams of a physically handicapped person come true. However, unless the United States government legalizes the practice of genetic cloning, these discoveries can never be fully taken advantage of, and we will miss out on many possibilities that could have been. As with many scientific advances of the past, such as airplanes and computers, the only real threat is to our own narrow mental complacency. With a little common sense and reasonable regulation, human cloning is not something to be feared. Human beings are the world s greatest treasures. Human cloning will allow us to heal and improve the lives of these treasures.