Ethics Of Human Cloning

A clone is a collection of genetically identical organisms. It is a procedure used to create a new organism whose genetic constitution is a replica of an another existing individual. It is achieved by substituting the nucleus; that contains genes from one of the cells making up that individual's body for the nucleus of a fertilized egg.

In 1997, led by researcher lan Wilmut embryologists at Roslin Institute, Scotland reported that they had cloned a sheep 'dolly' from the cell of an adult eve. A year later, scientists at university of Hawaii cloned a mouse creating three generations of cloned clones. Two research teams succeeded in growing embryonic stem cells in same year- what an impressive work in the field of genetic engineering!

And finally came yet another breakthrough in genetic engineering cloning of first human embryo. The supporters of human cloning untrammeled by ethics, consider it yet another milestone but for moralists the news was a bombshell. The Europe US, Britain, France speaking vehemently against human cloning said that the world had taken a step further to the nightmares of humans replicated in lab. US President Mr. George W. Bush condemned human cloning ans said "We should not as society grow life to destroy it. The use of embryos to clone is wrong".

For pure scientists, by studying cloning, they hope to figure out how to transform a full-grown adult cell into an entirely new tissue. This implies that when one has a heart attack, doctors will remodel one of the patients skin cells into heart tissue and all the damaged heart cells would be replaced by normal healthy cells. This remodelling could heal kidney malfunction, burns, trauma, fractures etc. Embryonic cloning could prove to be a valuable tool for studying new transplant technologies. Hailed at scientific marvel researchers at ACT have successfully taken a cell from man's leg and cow's egg and prduced a human embryo. They say that this aims at treating a wide number of diseases. For them cloning is a blessing -an option for infertile parents who consider having children. They intend to create a disease free good genetic composition of animals, plants and human beings. But the dangers of human cloning rule out any of its advantages. Human beings should not be cloned to stock a medical junkyard of spare parts for experimentation. It implements use of clones in producing offsprings for their organs. An embryo at any stage of life is worth protection and research that entails destroying embryo, worthy of protection is immoral - no matter whatever the intention cloning turns human life into a thing, a commodity. It is unethical and unreligious man should not br defying the very foundations of natural creation.

Dr Rudolf Jearmsch - a professor at Massachustees institute of technology says that many cloned animals have subtle brain defects that means little in animals but could be devastating in human beings, so that would mean creating cloned embryos, implanting them and destroying those who look imperfect or disfigured monsters as they grow in womb. Cloning will destroy the age-old concept of father and mother. Human beings will be replaced for one another thus fostering a culture of dehumanization. At the loss of a human being, grief would be diverted in making a clone instead of adjusting to loss. Cloning is a crime against God, against humanity. It is a consequential realm of creating life to take life in the name of science. Cloning will teat society into pieces. What would Hitler have done with this technology if available at that time. There are always powerful leaders in every generation who will create a havoc for their selfish purpose. We should not take the work of god in our own hands and must respect human life or else cloning would take away human individuality, uniqueness and right to live his own life

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Romit_K_Garg
http://EzineArticles.com/?Ethics-Of-Human-Cloning&id=2495437

How Do You Want Your Sirloin - Grain Fed, Organic or Cloned?

When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in early 2008 that cloned animals and their offspring were acceptable as consumable food products the resulting firestorm of debate was nothing if not loud.

From a practical standpoint proponents of cloning needed this ruling to add legitimacy to their work. If the cattle and pigs, which have been cloned, can be claimed as safe by the FDA then cloning experimentation can continue with the potential of grant monies from Universities and foundations.

What you may not know is that a fish and a tadpole were reported as clones in the 1950s and 1960s. However, cloning opponents are quick to recall the highly publicized first cloned animal, a sheep named Dolly. This animal was cloned in Scotland. This particular animal only lived to be six years old while the typical age for a Finn Dorset sheep is generally 12-15. The primary argument in this case was whether conditions for Dolly's care contributed to the disease that claimed her life or if because she was a clone from an animal that was roughly six years of age Dolly's body was essentially six years old at birth.

These and similar concerns are part of the complex nature of the cloning argument. In fact, the argument isn't simply with the acceptability of meat and other products from cloned animals, but with human life.

There are some individuals who are apposed to any kind of cloning while others may object to human cloning while finding therapeutic cloning acceptable.

In therapeutic cloning an individual's stem cells are cloned and the additional cells can be used on that same patient for therapies that may provide better health. In this case the cloning is derived from one person for the benefit of the exact same person.

In human cloning there are further divisions. There are those who perceive human cloning as a potential means of having children in the event of infertility while others view a cloned embryo as a potential means of harvesting embryonic stem cells for use in medical experimentation thus eliminating the potential for the embryo to experience life. Those who have cloned embryos for medical research view this process as a means of eradicating a multitude of diseases from the human experience.

Because cloning is still relatively new there are some grave concerns over attempting to clone a human being. The concerns stem from the multiple experiments that went wrong previous to the success of cloned animals.

Is it possible that this type of experimentation could result in even one mutated experiment that develops a life that has some ability to function but is a life form different than what we typically think of as human? What do we do with failed human cloning experiments? Are they taken care of or euthanized?

If this sounds like something out of a science fiction novel I suppose it is. Jurassic Park was developed around the idea of cloning extinct life and other novels have presented dooms day scenarios for cloning.

Religious leaders disagree about the acceptability of cloning and the role of cloning in our culture remains on that will be contested with each new experiment.

Discuss the Human Cloning at ControversialForums. Have Debates in our Discussion Forums.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Phelps
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Do-You-Want-Your-Sirloin---Grain-Fed,-Organic-or-Cloned?&id=974954