Cloning as not Immoral or Unethical - Term Paper Example

Outline Worksheet Remember that your outline needs to be a sentence outline. That is, each line should be written as a full sentence, not a sentence fragment or mere phrase. 1. What is the topic of your paper? Human Cloning. Cloning is not is not immoral or unethical. 2. What are four main points that support this topic? Main point #1: Cloning techniques: Cell mass division for multiplying human embryos. Cloning using the cell mass division does not produce copies of an individual. Main point #2: Cloning techniques: Somatic cell transferring (Nuclear substitution). The use of this technique to attempt to clone humans is nearly scientifically impossible. Main point #3: Reasons for cloning. Among the reasons for using cloning techniques is the fact that they help infertile couples to have children. Main point #4: Reason 2: scientists can clone healthy genes to replace defective ones. Main point #5: There is an opinion that cloning violates human dignity. From this point of view treating diseases should violate it as well. Main point #6: Religions object cloning, but every religion has human good as its primary objective, so why should religion be against something good for people? Human Cloning Outline I. Introduction A. The first successful attempt to clone a live creature took place in 1997. B. The scientific success was followed by often mistaken conclusions about how it can change the future. C. Cloning is not unethical or immoral. II. Cell mass division for multiplying human embryos. Cloning using the cell mass division does not produce copies of an individual. III. Cloning techniques: Somatic cell transferring (Nuclear substitution). The use of this technique to attempt to clone humans is nearly scientifically impossible. IV. Reasons for cloning. Among the reasons for using cloning techniques is the fact that they help infertile couples to have children. V. Reasons for cloning. Scientists can clone healthy genes to replace defective ones. VI. There is an opinion that cloning violates human dignity. From this point of view treating diseases should violate it as well. VII. Religions object cloning, but every religion has human good as its primary objective, so why should religion be against something good for people? VIII. Conclusion IX. References I. Introduction In 1997 a Scottish researcher, Ian Wilmut had successfully cloned an adult sheep. The initial public and professional response to the announcement of the new technique was one of concerns. In some cases, these responses were mistaken of how this new technology may reshape our future. The source of these feelings was fear of the fact that the new technique would allow human cloning, and would allow for an unlimited number of genetically similarities. The birth of the cloned sheep “Dolly” is an illustration of the ethical responsibilities of the scientists toward their community where they live, and serve and toward the public fear and anxiety that the scientific achievement provokes. Therefore, the given paper will examine some of the public and official responses, as well as some of the most important applications on human cloning, and its potential promises. Firstly, the two major cloning techniques will be analyzed in order to understand what cloning involves, and clarify the meaning of the term itself. Secondly, various opinions about the issues, moral and ethical problems it evokes will be presented and analyzed in order to clarify the fact that cloning is not actually immoral or unethical, as many prefer to claim. II. Cloning techniques. Cell mass division for multiplying human embryos. Cell mass division is the only technique that has been used on human beings. It was first used to multiply human embryos in October 1993, by Robert Stillman and Jerry Hall at George Washington Medical Center (Stock, 2000). They cloned human embryos by splitting early two- to eight-cell embryos into single embryo cells. Each embryo cell will grow up to create a distinct individual, completely separated from the other embryo cells. Therefore, cloning using the cell mass division does not produce copies of an individual. It only produces one more individual with the same genotype. We should never forget that cloning will only produce twins with the same genotype which means that each individual will be a distinct person. III. Cloning techniques. Somatic cell transferring (Nuclear substitution). This technique is based on the idea that nuclei from cells derived from an adult could be reprogrammed, or that the full genetic complement of such a cell could be reactivated well into the chronological life of the cell. To date, there has been only a single reported case of cloning using this technique on a higher animal. It is important to recognize that this procedure has a great number of important applications in research. One of these applications is to clone genetically engineered animals to produce large quantities of powerful pharmacological agents or to produce genetically engineered human cells, that would serve as therapeutic tissues in the treatment of human diseases. The use of this technique to attempt to clone humans is nearly scientifically impossible, as well as being morally unacceptable (National Institute of Health, 1998). Another application could use patient’s cells to create tissue to enable skin grafts for burn victims or using stem cells to treat leukaemia and other blood diseases; nerve stem cells can be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Therefore, this technology could increase the efficiency of gene therapy treatment by allowing the creation of genetically engineered cells that could be delivered back to the patient without any rejection (United States National Bioethics Advisory Commission. 1997). IV. Reasons to clone. Cloning techniques can help infertile couples to have children. As a result of Genetic Engineering, couples that are infertile can have children. The current treatments are not that successful, they are less then ten percent successful. Couples go through a lot of mental, physical and emotional stress to have a child. All this stress can disappear if Genetic Engineering is made possible. The doctors can clone the sperm cell of the father and the egg cell of the mother, and inject the sperm cell into the egg cell, and give life to a genetically enhanced child. Every human being becomes ill once in their life because we all have defective genes inside of us. The other genes we have are all healthy. What scientists can do is to clone the healthy genes, and replace the defective ones. Once this has been done, no one will ever suffer from any kind of health problems. Would you ever want to be ill again? V. Reasons to clone. Scientists can clone healthy genes to replace defective ones. Children and adults suffering from leukaemia will not have to suffer any more as cloning can help the people in need. Leukaemia is a cancer of the bone marrow, in the bone. This cancer is mostly found in children, due to a lack of calcium. What the scientists have to do is to get a sample of a bone marrow, which does not have leukaemia. The sample can be cloned and a new bone marrow created. This marrow can then be replaced with the bone, which has leukaemia in it, and the person suffering from the leukaemia can live a normal life. Would you not want a little boy or girl to lead a normal life? Scientists haven’t yet found the key of how cancer is caused, but when they do, they will be able to cure anyone in need of help with cancer problem. When the technology is allowed, they can learn how to switch cells on and off using the method of human cloning, thus meaning that cancer will be curable. VI. Objections. Cloning violates human dignity. There exists a well-known opinion that cloning violates human dignity and makes people into products that can be replaced. But why then treating diseases does not violate any dignities? Or, maybe, being happy having good health or a newborn baby also violates someone’s dignity? As it was already stated, cloning does not copy or replace the existing people, it creates unique and distinct personalities. There also exists an idea, that cloning amounts to unethical experimentation on people. At the same time, if people who believe so searched for the initial beginnings and experiments resulted in the most significant medical discoveries, they would be astonished by the facts. Not all the medicines and techniques we use now were achieved in ethical and moral, or even humanistic ways. On the other hand, cloning does not directly hurt anyone. Many argue that cloning involves destroying embryos and is, hence, unethical. But isn’t it more unethical to watch people struggling and dying from deceases that may be cured as a result of scientific research involving cloning. Isn’t it unethical to argue against research which some day will result in lifesaving therapies? – Each should decide for oneself. VII. Religions object cloning. Another thought is that clones will be inferior to real people. Then why not to sterilize all the people whose children are likely to be different from what we call ‘normal’? Some also say that cloning is playing God and, therefore, is unacceptable. It is a subjective and unreasonable religious belief. A religion may prohibit eating meat, but it is still being sold in stores. This gives people an opportunity to be free in their actions and choices. A religion may require everyday meditation, but there are no people sitting on the floor and wandering in nirvana in any office. We always have a choice of what to believe and what religious dogmas to follow. Besides, every religion has human good as its primary objective. So, from this point of view religion does not prohibit cloning because its purpose is to also to treat people. Finally, isn’t even a reproduction process ‘playing God’? VIII. Conclusion The medical and research communities are not interested in cloning people, but are interested in producing cures for diseases and disabilities that affect our society, resulting in harmful emotional, and economic costs every year. Today, the cloning techniques on human cells, genes and tissue is critical to identifying cures, preventions and treatment for many diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s and cardiovascular diseases. The potential for pharmaceutical production and the prospect for the regeneration and repair of human tissues is too great, it could mean saving the lives of countless people. The cloning of human embryos for the sake of producing cures and treatments should go forward, and so should the research that involves the cloning of animals and plants, for the sake of finding cures that could save human lives. Over all, human life, in any form, is the most important and valuable thing. References Boylan, Michael. Genetic engineering: science and ethics on the new frontier. Michael Boylan, Kevin E. Brown. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2001. Kolata, Gina. Clone: The road to Dolly, and the path ahead. New York: W. Morrow & Co.,1998. McKinnell, Robert. Cloning of frogs, mice, and other animals. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1995. National Institute of Health. 1997 Year in Review Research Report, July 1998. Singer, Peter. Making babies: the new science and ethics of conception. Peter Singer and Deane Wells. New York: C. Scribners Sons, 1985. Stock, Gregory. Engineering the human germline: an exploration of the science and ethics of altering the genes we pass to our children. Edited by Gregory Stock and John Campbell. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Read More