Human Cloning Article
One of the great ethical debates of our era is the subject of human cloning. Cloning technology is already
here, as evidenced by Dolly the sheep. Human cloning creates questions about the soul, the role of God in
society, and even the quality of life that a cloned person would have. In return, however, the advantages
of cloning are also quite apparent: human cloning could very well lead to faster medical cures, a better
overall quality of life, and even longer life spans.
Would human cloning help society at large? Is it ethically questionable to clone humans in order to create
new life?
The Pros of Human Cloning
Here are the primary benefits to the science of human cloning:
Defective genes could be eliminated: Genetic illnesses are not a leading killer of people today, but they
could be in the near future. As humans continually reproduce, damage to their DNA lines increases. This
creates mutations and defective genes, but these could be eliminated thanks to the cloning of healthy
human cells.
Faster recovery from traumatic injury: From the professional athlete who tears their ACL to the
person, who becomes a quadriplegic because of a devastating automobile accident, recovery times could
be lowered and true healing could occur thanks to the cloning of their own cells to help the recovery
process.
Infertility could be eliminated. Though infertility treatments today are somewhat successful, imagine
being able to take cloned cells to create a younger twin of a mother or father? This would create the
opportunity for an infertile couple to experience the joys of having a family without enduring the painful
infertility procedures that are common today.
Help in Genetic Research: Cloning technologies can prove helpful to researchers in genetics. They might
be able to understand the composition of genes and the effects of genetic constituents on human traits, in
a better manner. They will be able to alter genetic constituents in cloned human beings, thus simplifying
their analysis of genes. Cloning may also help us combat a wide range of genetic diseases.
Human Cloning Article
Obtain Specific Traits in Organisms: Cloning can make it possible for us to obtain customized
organisms and harness them for the benefit of society. It can serve as the best means to replicate animals
that can be used for research purposes. It can enable the genetic alteration of plants and animals. If
positive changes can be brought about in living beings with the help of cloning it will indeed be a boon to
mankind.
The Cons of Human Cloning
Here are the primary issues associated with human cloning:
Detrimental to Genetic Diversity: Cloning creates identical genes. It is a process of replicating a genetic
constitution, thus hampering the diversity in genes. While lessening the diversity in genes, we weaken
our ability of adaptation. Cloning is also detrimental to the beauty that lies in diversity.
There is a possibility of faster aging. Because an older cell is often being used to create a human clone,
there is the possibility that this imprinted age could be placed on the growing embryo. This would then
create premature aging issues and potentially even premature death, all because of the cloning process.
There is a reduced sense of individuality. Though a human clone would undoubtedly be a brand new
life with unique preferences, there would still be a potential loss of individuality because a clone is simply
a twin of someone else, no matter what the age of that other person may be.
It may reduce the overall value of human life. With cloning, there is a real possibility that humans
would become more of a commodity than an individual. If you don’t like the child you’ve got, then just go
clone another one and get it perfect the next time around. It could also create new societal divisions,
where perfected clones may be treated differently than naturally made humans.
How Do You Feel About Human Cloning?
The science of human cloning continues to develop and it will not be long before technology will make
this a reality. Do humans have a soul? Would this soul be lost during the cloning process? Is this
humanities’ way of trying to replace God? The debate about human cloning is ongoing – how do you feel
about the subject?