Human and animal cloning

Running head: HUMAN AND ANIMAL CLONING Human and Animal Cloning Insert Insert Affiliation Human and Animal Cloning Science has made rapid progress over the last century. Where before, if a person needed an organ transplant they had to be placed on a waiting list, it is fast becoming a possibility that technology can develop one needed right away. Though this is not an option available to the public as yet, science is fully exploring all areas of the possibilities involved with cloning. In fact, for some organ transplants it is going to be possible sooner than others, although science still has a ways to go and it has to have FDA approval and all ethical considerations made beforehand. A cloned organ would work just as substantially as a naturally formed one due to the possible ways of cell regeneration that scientists are coming up with.
The first thought of cloning and human cloning came about when the first Scottish scientist cloned a sheep named, ‘Dolly’ (Human Genome Project Information 2004). However, there were theorizations that the cloning of the sheep was beyond logical realms of ethics and even though it brought about worldwide interest, complications also arose. It is widely recognized how often science will go to bring about new changes and within the area of cloning there are a myriad of beliefs and opinions that claim the use of this science goes against the normal balance of nature. For example: science clones a sheep and takes another step beyond that to actually contemplating cloning a human being. Too many people of religious stature, cloning is just morally wrong but scientists refuse to listen, always reiterating what they have always stated. The ideas that are formed through science and the discoveries stemming from those ideas are always done with the best interest of human kind in utmost consideration. That is well and good but the development of nuclear technology and other weaponry also stated the same type of mental way of thinking and it has cost many lives in the process. Also, there is more involved with the scientific method of cloning that what society is aware of. The various types of cloning that are being used can do far more than simply duplicating another organism (Human Genome Project Information 2004).
Dolly’s success proved truly amazing because it theorized how one adult udder cell could be programmed to only express specific genes which where needed by the udder cell. Scientists claimed if this were possible, and then why not go into a more in depth exploration of the whole concept of cloning Indeed it has gone further, as the first scientific cell technological Research Company has now cloned human embryonic eggs. Although this was stated to have been done for only therapeutic research, there is not certainty it isn’t being used for other experimentations which might be ethically uncalled for. It was in Massachusetts where the first cloned embryonic eggs were done in the name of science and what is occurring now is not quite clear so this causes a serious problem. However, as stated, how does society know what goes on beyond scientific doors We don’t and therefore there are always going to be ethical and moral questions raising eyebrows. Some of the areas in which this scientific development raises concerns are:
Is human cloning playing with nature
If a clone originates from a person, who is the parent
Do the benefits of Human Cloning outweigh the costs of human dignity
(Genetic Science Learning Center 2005).
On the flipside of the coin, how would it make another individual feel if cloning could actually save a life of someone they loved but was not acceptable due to moral values in society For some examples, an outline of thought is included:
A loved one has a medical condition of which therapeutic cloning could help
A family member has a disease that could be cured by ways directly relative of cloning
Every scientific equation developed has faced adversity in its initial stages. However, the boundless miracles that could stem from cloning outweigh any negativity by the ways in which it could solve disease such as: bone marrow transplants, cures for cancer, treatment that would help in brain repair, and many other ways it could be a positive influence through science (Future Magazine 2005). Aren’t these at least giving the benefit of the doubt and putting aside the negativity for a little while
References
Future Magazine (2005) ‘Future of Stem Cell Research’ Retrieved from: http://www. globalchange. com/stemcells2. htm Accessed on 12 December 2005
Genetic Science Learning Center (2005) ‘What Are Some Issues in Cloning’ Retrieved from: http://www. gslc. genetics. utah. edu/units/cloning/clissues
Human Genome Project (2004) ‘Cloning Fact Sheet’ Retrieved from: http://www. oml. gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning. shtml#intro