A Logical Look at the Cloning of Human Life

Cloning is a relatively new technology that has both support and opposition from two different sides. Strong support is given by the scientific community, as it is considered to be a great breakthrough that can potentially change the world; and strong opposition is given from the ethical and moral side, because it would cause us to change the way we look at human life.

Scientifically speaking, cloning is the answer to almost every biological problem humans encounter. This includes no longer having to wait for organ transplants because the organs can be grown (Smith), curing heart attacks with better hearts, and even making animals produce more nutritious food and milk. Because the process of cloning is a relatively new one, where the first successful clone was a sheep in 1997 (Hutch), it still has a lot of work being put into making it safer and more reliable. The way that cloning works is that DNA is collected from the host, and then put into stem cells to create the appropriate organs, bones, and so on. The use of stem cells brings the most negative attention to the process of cloning, because either uses the cells of a fetus or is risky to get the cells of an adult.

Many people are vocal about how they believe that cloning is wrong because of both ethical and moral reasons. One of the main moral arguments is that the clone may have the same DNA as the donor, but it is not the same person because it does not have the same personality or memories. Another serious concern is the possible mutation of genes (Hutch ) that could occur, potentially making the person suffer from new debilitating diseases. Because cloning is a new technology and we still do not fully understand human genetics, it is subject to numerous errors in the process that could be irreversible ("American Medical Association" ).

Human cloning is a brand new and risky technology that we should certainly continue to research because of the numerous benefits. However, for now we should only work with animals and begin to slowly introduce the idea to the public so that there is less of a culture shock if it becomes more popular.

Sources:

Smith, Simon. "The Benefits of Human Cloning."humancloning.org. (2002): page. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <http://www.humancloning.org/benefits.php>.

"Human Cloning." American Medical Association. (2008): n. page. Print. <http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-science/genetics-molecular-medicine/related-policy-topics/stem-cell-research/human-cloning.page>.

Hutch, Peter. "Disadvantages of Human Cloning." Articles Base. (2008): n. page. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/disadvantages-of-human-cloning-461241.html>.