The Problem of Genetic Cloning - Essay Example

? Genetic Cloning In cloning, especially in humans, there are two key aspects of cloning and these include reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning, in which the former involves the creation of a new being while the latter is meant for curative purposes. Both reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning have distinct uses in human cloning in that they are used to perfect the human race concerning alleviation of human suffering and disease, which could be emotional, social and even physical. Human cloning refers to use to the use of technology to generate another human being that has the same DNA as another currently or previously existing human being (). Human cloning is a controversial that elicits diverse reactions from all quarters and almost every member of the human race. The issue of cloning has caused much debate since the firs cloning of a live sheep in Scotland in 1997 (Allison, 2009). This is concerning ethics and authority to participate in the events leading to the creation of a new human being from the originally born one. This topic is crucial to the existence of human beings as it may be used to either improve their lives or degrade them. Genetic cloning takes place using embryonic stem cells, which is a concept that became known in the late 1990s with the isolation of the initial human embryo stem cell. This isolation works because embryonic stem cells can differentiate and form any human cell ranging from blood cells to skin cells, and it is from this that the idea to create perfect human beings first came into play. This is especially with potential use of stem cells to crate different organs and ensure that humans no longer suffer from conditions that can be healed through genetic cloning. The most popular means of cloning research done in the world today and from the 1970s is that of recombinant DNA technology, which entails replacement of molecular DNA fragments with those that are favourable to the host. This in human cloning is generating concerns in creation of super humans in that they select the best traits needed in humans and use recombinant DNA technology to fix these genes in host DNA (Bliss, 2012). The main way in which this technology has been used is through In-vitro fertilization that was discovered in the late 1970s, this has been used to date to eliminate undesirable traits in children and allow parents and scientists to pick out the traits, and conditions they would like to have their children. This is especially helpful I eliminating genetic conditions that parents may have in that the embryo is microscopically examined for signs of genetic disorders such as Tay - Sachs disease and Sickle Cell anaemia. Besides this, the creation of designer babies can be done after the child is already born, which is similar to vehicle maintenance through application of cannibalized parts from other vehicles. Children born with defects that were not detected during the genetic engineering process can undergo maintenance from selected genes from other children and genetically cloned parts. Genes, in this case refer to molecular units in a cell containing genetic information of heredity (Kaplan & Rdgers, 2003). This can be evidently seen in the case of Charlie Whitaker from the UK who was born with Diamond Blackfan anaemia, which prevented him from making his own red blood cells (Mclean, 2006). From this, genetic cloning allowed a designer baby to be made by correcting his situation at a young age by transplanting cells from his younger brother’s umbilical cord. This is indicative of some of the latest developments in human cloning to create designer babies through curative measures. The key idea in designer babies is anchored around four key concepts and these are prevention of genetic diseases, promotion of conception of healthy children, correction of defects before a womb rejects an embryo and elimination of potential organ transplants. Another type of cloning is somatic cells nuclear transfer, which involves transfer of the nucleus of a somatic into an enucleated oocyte for the generation of a genetically identical individual to the somatic cell. This type of cloning is used to generate animals such as farm animals that are of high yield ensuring that one has the same breed of animals all through times in spite of the death of the original somatic donor. This in human cloning is faced with challenges in that perfection is yet to be reached due to the low efficiency and high rate of occurrence of mental abnormalities considering that mental capabilities are not entirely genetic but acquired. Even in animals, based on research on mice and rats, mental capabilities are not definite in clones in that they are not directly transferrable despite being done somatically, which implies that knowledge is meant to be relearnt thus this does not do much to help perfect human cloning. In addition to this, human cloning based on somatic cell nuclear transfer may show advancement in knowledge about human cloning, but there is a distinct problem in this case. The age of the cells generated from this form of cloning shows that there is specific matching of the ages implicative of an age continuum from the age of the original somatic cell (Sutovsky, 2007). Cells generated from this continue to generate until their life span is done and only then do they start in the process of denudation meaning that they begin dying off when they reach their age limit. This is as per experiments conducted on nucleuses of both animal and human oocytes. What the above implies is that genetic cloning in spite of its advancement over time, perfection is an issue considering that somatic, therapeutic and reproductive genetic cloning has limitations. In conclusion, genetic cloning is doe based on DNA material from cells of animals or plants and this is applied either from a somatic point of view or through reparative means in the case of designer babies. However, this is only when genetic engineering misses defects on embryos during microscopic examination and genetic defects manifest themselves after birth. References Allison, L. A. (2009). Fundamental Molecular Biology. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Bliss, J. (2012). Designer babies. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library. Kaplan, G. T., & Rogers, L. J. (2003). Gene worship: moving beyond the nature/nurture debate over genes, brain, and gender. New York: Other Press. McLean, S. (2006). First do no harm law, ethics and healthcare. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Sutovsky, P. (2007). Somatic cell nuclear transfer. New York: Springer Science+Business Media ;. Read More