Positive Benefits from Cloning - Essay Example

1 Introduction Cloning is artificial creation. It is the job of God being exercised by scientists in an artificial atmosphere. It can be generally described as the production of one or more individual plants or animals (whole or in part) that are genetically identical to an original plant or animal. As on today, irrespective of the controversy involving morals, ethics and the scientific necessity, the research on cloning is at the crossroads. But which road will it prefer to travel Will it journey like a rocket and ultimately reach a destination where the cloned replicas of Hitlers and Osama Bin Ladens are created Will it take a slow and steady path to reach a safe destination where entire humanity will have a blessed opportunity to be cured of diseases and to remove physical disabilities Whether its positive benefits will establish a supremacy over its negative aspects and rule the roost is anybody's guess. Body Cloning is basically of two types, as mentioned below. 1. Reproductive cloning. 2. Therapeutic cloning Reproductive cloning means the creation of a newborn human or other animal that is an exact duplication of an existing person or animal. This involves removing the DNA from an embryo and replacing it with the DNA from a cell removed from an individual. Then the embryo would be implanted in the uterus of a woman with the intent of it developing into a fetus and eventually a newborn whose DNA is identical to that of the original individual. This method has been used to clone a sheep. This method is also known as adult DNA cloning. 2 Therapeutic cloning is also called biomedical cloning, research cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer. It means the creation of pre-embryos in order to extract their stem cells and create a human organ. It involves the process of somatic cell nuclear transfer in which the nucleus of a cell from a human patient's body is injected into a human ovum which has had its nucleus removed. The goal of therapeutic cloning is to obtain stem cells which can be developed into organs for transplant that have an identical DNA structure to the organ recipient. It does not involve the attempt to create a newborn. (Terminology. First two Paras). As the two terms are causing confusion among the general public, some people have been suggesting that the term 'therapeutic cloning' should be addressed as somatic cell nuclear transfer. The positive benefits Though the issue of stem cell research and cloning are highly controversial, present and further research will only benefit the humanity. Protagonists of cloning argue that there is a great scope for the social, physical and economical progress of the humanity through research in therapeutic cloning. Organ cloning can terminate deadly illnesses and save precious human lives. Its utilities in medical field are immense and innumerable. Some of them are as follows. 1. Progress in this field can help infertile couples have children through cloning. With treatment the infertile couples can develop the ability to conceive. 2. Cloning research in the field can be utilized for replicating skin and nerve cells to repair damaged ones or replace non-existent ones. 3 3. If therapeutic cloning using embryos is successful, then perfectly matched replacement organs could become freely available to sick and dying people. (What are its possible benefits First Para). And that would save countless numbers of lives, and increase the quality of life of countless others. Three possible medical examples of therapeutic cloning are: 1.The use of insulin-secreting cells for diabetes.2. The use of nerve cells in stroke or Parkinson's disease.3. The use of liver cells to repair a damaged organ. Organ development and plantation through therapeutic cloning would have some more benefits when compared to regular organ transplant donated by someone. For any organ transplantation, no other person would have to lose his/her organ. Patients would not have to wait for long for some organ to arrive but at the same time they would have the advantage of having a new organ instead of an old one from some one. It is true that cloning research in this field is yet to reach final stages but continuous research may lead to some medical solutions towards curing certain chronic diseases and physical disorders that cannot be handled today. On the other hand, research on animal cloning methods has been going on a rapid speed and some positive results are pouring in. The latest in this field is about cows. According to Dr Patrick Dixon, milk and meat drawn from some cloned cows contained all normal things except that more fat content was observed in them. He is of the opinion that though the meat and milk products from cloned cattle are eatable and palatable, cloning cattle for farmers is not a thing worth considering from commercial angle.(Cloned cows may be safe to eat-12 April 2005). In spite of the promising future cloning holds in medical field, some question the use of cloning for helping the childless couple when there are already existing means of artificial reproduction. 4 Nancy J. Duff argues that one should not entertain a preconceived notion that reproducing or replicating of children forms part of civil rights, irresponsive of the costs /reasons involved in the act (Reflections on human cloning, 9th and 10th Paras). Nancy vehemently says that we must appreciate an infertile couple's desire to have a biologically linked child to experience the natural results of love and affection. She says that when a couple, in distress over losing a child through miscarriage /infant death, is made to have a cloned son /daughter, the cloned child's physical resemblance to the dead child could cause emotional confusion on the part the parents and child. But, of course, there is one more reasonable argument .Will the cloned children be the natural humans What is their status in the society Some think that cloning would lead to the replicas of dangerous people like Hitler. (The moral and ethical controversies of cloning: factual arguments, third para). Research in genetic engineering and cloning also involves ethical, scientific and moral issues. Every country generally wants to advance in scientific research but the accruing side effects of such research influencing the society, culture, ethics and tradition also should be taken into consideration. Bruce Albert, president of the US National Academy of Sciences, echoes the opinions of most leading scientists in calling the cloning endeavor "a very risky procedure." (Genetic engineering and human cloning, third Para.) He says that the issue of cloning should be studied in a human and practical sense and feels that the expensiveness, medical dangers, moral and ethical consequences should thoroughly be investigated before proceeding with further research. Albert is of the opinion that in fact the cost of genetic engineering goes far beyond the monetary value and extends into a threat to the very existence of humanity. He is very clear that 5 the dangers will emanate from the genetic defects of cloning engulfing the global gene pool. The American Medical Association's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs has reported that human cloning could irreversibly alter the gene pool and exacerbate genetic problems that arise from deleterious genetic mutations, harming future generations. For every successful animal clone, there have been over 300 fetal deaths. (Genetic engineering and human cloning, fifth Para.) The opposing groups of cloning are of the opinion that creation and recreation are the responsibility of God and human beings have no business to entertain ideas of artificial creation, known as cloning. They strongly feel that cloning advocates have been playing with God and one day they will pay the price for their actions. (Yaro's article, third Para). The base for present research and future prospects for further research on cloning is the greatest ever discovery that genetic information of a cell diminishes with each cell division. According to G. Waite, the credit for this finding goes to August Weiss Mann. (A brief history of cloning.1880 to present.) The seed sown by Weiss Man in 1880 has now grown into a great tree with innumerable branches that seem to be ever expanding. If we take a look back into cloning history, we will know German scientist Hans Spemann discovered in 1902 that early embryo cells retain all the genetic information necessary to create a new organism. This development led to John Gurdon cloning frogs from differentiated cells in 1962. Subsequently in 1978, the release of David Rorvik's book, In His Image: The Cloning of a Man, sparked off a worldwide debate on cloning ethics. The events that followed were the key ones in the history of cloning. In 1980, U.S. Supreme Court ruled that live, human made organisms are patentable material. Human Genome Project began in 1990. In February 1997, Wilmot and other researchers at the Roslyn 6 Institute in Scotland reported that they had cloned a 6-year-old adult sheep from an udder cell naming it Dolly. Observing the pace of progress in cloning research and amid public protests against it, President Clinton signed a five-year moratorium on the use of federal funds for human cloning research in June 1997. Presently, there is almost a unanimous view world over that reproductive cloning should be banned. However opinion is divided over the issue of therapeutic cloning. But the High Court ruling in Britain in 2001 over the issue have raised hopes all over, or al least in that country, for the protagonists of cloning. According to Bruno Quintavalle of the Pro-Life Alliance, the High Court ruling had meant that there was no law in Britain that could prevent someone attempting to create a person through cloning, or to create tissues for transplant through so-called "therapeutic cloning. (Andy Coghlan,). In the US, the Kentucky Senate voted 22-16 for an amendment that nullified the controversial House Bill 138, a human cloning ban. The Senate then laid the bill on the clerk's desk indefinitely. The bill would have banned both reproductive and therapeutic cloning. (2003-MAR-30 ) Conclusion Any scientific research should be encouraged if it concentrates on improving the social, economical and educational standards of human beings, irrespective of its financial expenditure. The US and UK Governments must initiate a debate to find out the good and positive points of cloning and try to implement them in a right perspective for the good of humanity. The future holds good for such research in relation to cloning. 7 Works cited Terminology. Therapeutic cloning: U.S. Legislation at the Federal & State level. 5 Nov.2005 What are its possible benefits Therapeutic cloning: How it is done; possible benefits. 3 Nov.2005< http://www.religioustolerance.org/clo_ther.htm> Cloned cows may be safe to eat -12 April 2005. Human cloning headlines. Latest. 4 Nov.2005 Reflections on human cloning. 5 Nov. 2005 The moral and ethical controversies of cloning: factual arguments. General. 6 Nov.2005 Genetic engineering and human cloning. Third para. Student Perspectives: The Cloning Controversy.3 Nov.2005 Genetic engineering and human cloning. fifth para. Student Perspectives: The Cloning Controversy.3 Nov.2005 Yaro's article.The moral and ethical controversies of cloning: factual arguments. General. 6 Nov.2005 A brief history of cloning.1880 to present. Cloning news. General news. 4 Nov.2005< http://www.reproductivecloning.net/hosting/waite/> Andy Coghlan. UK court ruling means cloning not illegal.5 Nov.2005 2003-MAR-30. KY: Bill to ban reproductive cloning killed). State legislation. 4 Nov.2005 Read More