Pros and Cons of Cloning
January 19, 2011
Contrary to popular notion, cloning started more than a century before Dolly, the first cloned mammal, became
famous. It cannot be denied, nonetheless, that Dolly awakened the imagination of the populace regarding the
pros and cons of cloning. It is a debate that continues to polarize society 15 years after the birth of the most
famous sheep on Earth.
Inclusions in the Discussion
We must emphasize that the cloning referred to in this article refers to reproductive, gene and therapeutic
cloning. Reproductive cloning is used in the creation of an animal with the same nuclear DNA as another
animal, the latter of which may be currently or previously in existence. This was the technology used in the
creation of Dolly.
Therapeutic cloning refers to the production of human embryos for the purpose of research. It has also been
applied to create new organs or tissues for transplantation into a waiting patient with possible applications in the
treatment of diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and even cancer.
These two types of cloning – there is a third type known as gene cloning, by the way – are at the center of
heated debates. If you wish to cast your vote on the pros and cons of cloning, it is important to acquire as much
reliable and relevant information and education on the matter.
Advantages of Cloning
With that being said, the following are the generally accepted benefits of cloning:
• Easy replacement of internal organs and tissues for patients in need of transplants instead of waiting for
suitable organ donors, alive or dead. Since the transplanted organ contains most of the recipient’s genes, there is
a lesser chance for rejection as well.
• Cloning can be a solution to the infertility issue among couples.
Theoretically speaking, parents can choose the desirable qualities in their genes to be passed on to their
children.
• Genetic research can immensely benefit from cloning especially in combating the wide range of
genetic diseases.
Tipping the balance in the pros and cons of cloning is the fact the gene cloning can be harnessed to produce
superior plants and animals to feed humanity. Genetic engineering has made great advances in this regard
although it is also polarizing.
Disadvantages of Cloning
Of course, there are disadvantages to cloning that prevent the advances in this area to be made. Such
disadvantages include:
• Genetic diversity and its benefits are weakened with the replicating process in cloning. We may be exposing
ourselves to a compromised ability to adapt to our surroundings, not to mention that the beauty of diversity is
lost.
• Unethical practices can result from cloning as unscrupulous individuals can breed individuals with
certain traits.
Probably the most contentious issue in the debate about the pros and cons of cloning is the ethical side of the
process. Is it ethical to act like God by creating an embryo that develops into a human being? Is it ethical to kill
a pre-embryo in order to harvest its stem cells, which will then be cultivated into an organ for transplant
purposes? Is it ethical to mess around with nature in the first place?
Indeed, if you must take sides in the pros and cons of cloning debate, your main responsibility is to enter it with
an open, educated and informed mind first and stable emotions second.
Pros and Cons of Cloning
When Dolly, the first cloned sheep came in the news, cloning interested the masses. Not only researchers but
even common people became interested in knowing about how cloning is done and what pros and cons it has.
Everyone became more curious about how cloning could benefit the common man. Most of us want to know the
pros and cons of cloning, its advantages and its potential risks to mankind. Let us understand them.
Pros of Cloning
Cloning finds applications in genetic fingerprinting, amplification of DNA and alteration of the genetic makeup
of organisms. It can be used to bring about desired changes in the genetic makeup of individuals thereby
introducing positive traits in them, as also for elimination of negative traits. Cloning can also be applied to
plants to remove or alter defective genes, thereby making them resistant to diseases. Cloning may find
applications in development of human organs, thus making human life safer. Here we look at some of the
potential advantages of cloning.
Organ Replacement: If vital organs of the human body can be cloned, they can serve as backup systems for
human beings. Cloning body parts can serve as a lifesaver. When a body organ such as a kidney or heart fails to
function, it may be possible to replace it with the cloned body organ.
Substitute for Natural Reproduction: Cloning in human beings can prove to be a solution to infertility. Cloning
can serve as an option for producing children. With cloning, it would be possible to produce certain desired
traits in human beings. We might be able to produce children with certain qualities. Wouldn't that be close to
creating a man-made being?!
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.
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.
Cons of Cloning
Like every coin has two sides, cloning has its flip side too. Though cloning may work wonders in genetics, it
has potential disadvantages. Cloning, as you know, is copying or replicating biological traits in organisms. Thus
it might reduce the diversity in nature. Imagine multiple living entities like one another! Another con of cloning
is that it is not clear whether we will be able to bring all the potential uses of cloning into reality. Plus, there's a
big question of whether the common man will afford harnessing cloning technologies to his benefit. Here we
look at the potential disadvanatges of 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.
Invitation to Malpractices: While cloning allows man to tamper with genetics in human beings, it also makes
deliberate reproduction of undesirable traits, a probability. Cloning of body organs might invite malpractices in
society.
Will this Technology Reach the Common Man?: In cloning human organs and using them for transplant, or in
cloning human beings themselves, technical and economic barriers will have to be considered. Will cloned
organs be cost-effective? Will cloning techniques really reach the common man?
Man, a Man-made Being?: Moreover, cloning will put human and animal rights at stake. Will cloning fit into
our ethical and moral principles? It will make man just another man-made being. Won't it devalue mankind?
Won't it demean the value of human life?
Cloning is equal to emulating God. Is that easy? Is that risk-free? Many are afraid it is not!
By Manali Oak
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-cloning.html
Ethical Issues of Cloning
The rapid advancements in science and technology over the last couple of decades has meant that mankind is
exploring newer frontiers and challenging long-held beliefs and notions. One such field is cloning. Creating
exact copies or cloning human beings has always fired the human imagination. This desire has manifested itself
in various art and entertainment depicting cloned humans. The successful cloning of Dolly in 1997 further
fueled talk about the possibility of human cloning. Over the years, cloning has come to mean an artificial and
identical genetic copy of an existing life form.
To explain in a scientific way, cloning means replacing the egg nucleus of an organism with the donor's nucleus.
This nucleus contains unique genes of the donor. The procedure involves removing the nucleus of a somatic cell
and inserting it into an enucleated or unfertilized egg cell. Unlike natural reproduction, wherein the egg contains
a combination of genetic material, this egg which grows into an embryo contains only the donor's gene.
Theoretically, this might seem fairly straightforward. However, a high failure rate along with prevalence of high
deformity and disability rates in cloned animals, strongly suggests cloning might not be applicable to humans.
The Ethical Issues
Yes, cloning does have its share of advantages. Not only does cloning help homosexual and sterile couples to
have biological offspring, but also helps in in-depth research, for example; in the case of motor neuron disease.
Embryonic stem cells can be cloned to produce tissues or organs to replace or repair the damaged ones. Human
cloning could allow parents who have lost a child a chance to redress their loss using the DNA of their deceased
child.
On the flip side though, cloning presents us with certain issues like the kind of life a cloned individual will lead.
Would he live like a unique individual or would he have to live like a genetic prisoner? Should parents choose
the traits of a future child as is possible with cloning? These and other such issues present an ethical and moral
dilemma for scientists and experts alike who see cloning as a potential danger to human identity. Here are some
of the major ethical issues of cloning.
Religious Belief and Control
Cloning goes against the basic belief of certain religions that only God has created life and its various forms in
nature. Humans cannot act as God. Even when genetically identical twins are born, their embryo splits
spontaneously or randomly to give a new unique genetic combination. Cloning involves a controlled split of the
embryo to produce a tailor-made genetic make up. Ethically, it is wrong for any human to have control over the
genetic make up of any other individual. More so, the cloned individual would be generated for specific
purposes. This in essence is wrong wherein the purpose of an individual's life should be more than just
satisfying someone else's needs.
Relationships and Individuality
Cloning creates a new human, yet strips him off his individuality. A man, along with his clone can never be
dignified as a single identity. The uniqueness attributed to humans from God might be at stake. The replication
of an individual is a major blow to his most distinct feature - his identity. Another fact is that we are unsure how
the cloned individual might react and behave with regards to his family and parents. Furthermore, if the cloned
individual is cloned from his grandparents and not his parents, would he/she be considered a sibling? How
would he/she react? How would the parents and family regard the cloned individual? When we are unsure about
the implications or consequences of such situations, it is ethically wrong to subject any individual to such tests
as fellow human beings.
Failure Rate
Physicians and doctors have a moral obligation to ensure and translate the safety of any medical procedure to
his/her patients. As of now, no one can guarantee that the child born due to cloning would be a healthy one. As
indicated earlier, the high failure rate in cloning mammals and other species is completely unacceptable when it
comes to cloning humans. Moreover, in case of a failed cloning attempt, putting down mammals or other
species in itself is distressing. Translating the same in case of human clones is ethically and medically
unjustifiable, as well as criminal.
Legal and Other Issues
Besides the above mentioned issues, there are other issues which may seem technical as of now, but can arise
out of lack of knowledge or unforeseeable circumstances.
Altering Gene Pool
If cloning becomes widespread, the genetic diversity of humans will go down. This would result in the decrease
in immunity of humans against diseases. Thus making humans susceptible to epidemics and unknown diseases.
Some advocate human cloning as ethically unacceptable because it is seen as a threat to the entire human
evolution. Though this issue is slightly hypothetical, it still can pose a potential threat to all humanity. Along
with reducing generic diversity, there are risks of transmitting degenerative diseases from the donor human to
the clone. Trans-genetic manipulation, where genetic material from one species is artificially inserted into
another species, if applied to humans, would lead to transfer of diseases from other species. Thus, large-scale
cloning might prove to be a serious blow to the entire human race in future.
Illegal Cloning and Clones
Cloning could have legal implications as well. A cloned child having multiple donors might complicate parental
right issues as well as inheritance and marital eligibility issues. Another view held by many experts, suggests
that there is a possibility of clones being developed without the concerned individual's consent. This will
definitely create legal issues not to mention violation of medical as well as moral ethics. Many people are also
concerned that clones would be produced with a specific need and purpose in mind and such cloned individuals
would be traded or sold, amounting to human trafficking which is illegal.
At the other end of spectrum are some experts who are of the opinion that the embryo does not require any
particular moral consideration. They say that, at the stage when an embryo is cloned, it is just a bunch of cells
that contain DNA, which are not very different from the millions of skin cells that we shed everyday. The
embryonic cells at that stage cannot be considered equivalent to a human being because it does not have
thoughts, self-awareness, memory, awareness of its environment, sensory organs, internal organs, legs, arms,
and so on. They think that the embryo attains human identity or individuality much later during gestation,
perhaps at the point when the brain develops so that it becomes aware of itself.
In view of the highly debatable aspects about cloning and weighing in on the pros and cons of this process,
UNESCO passed a non-binding United Nations Declaration on Human Cloning, in March 2005, which states:
Practices which are contrary to human dignity, such as reproductive cloning of human beings, shall not be
permitted. In the United States there are no federal laws that ban cloning completely, yet 13 states have banned
reproductive cloning. Although many countries have banned cloning, many countries allow therapeutic cloning,
a system in which the stem cells are extracted from the pre-embryo, with the intention of generating a whole
organ or tissue, so that it can be transplanted back into the person who gave the DNA.
Since human cloning raises some serious concerns, it would be highly irresponsible to pursue this method,
without giving it a serious thought. New issues are bound to crop up with advances in this field, and only time
can decide its fate. Until the benefits are discussed by society to outweigh the harm, it would be inappropriate to
participate in cloning of humans.
By Rita Putatunda
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ethical-issues-of-cloning.html
Human Cloning Benefit
The process of creation of genetically identical person from either a living or dead person is known as human
cloning. It includes the production of clone tissues, also donated from the individual to be cloned. This term
refers to artificial human cloning only. The birth of twins is called natural human cloning. Even though the birth
of twins is the result of natural human cloning they are separate people with separate experience. The presence
of identical DNA makes no difference in their being different personalities. The scientific community all over
the world is still investigating the question how similar the original and its clone would be and this may depend
up on how much of personality traits are determined by genes.
Scientists have managed to clone animals like Dolly, the sheep. They have obviously tried the same method on
humans, and have reached considerable success. However, many countries and governments have banned
human cloning fearing the ill-effects of human clones. The human race is not yet prepared to come face-to-face
with clones moving about with normal people. There is a huge debate on the pros and cons of human cloning.
This Buzzle article on human cloning will cover the advantages of cloning humans.
Techniques of Human Cloning and Claim of Success
The most common technique used in human cloning is 'somatic cell nuclear transfer'. Under this technique, the
nucleus of an egg cell taken from a donor is removed. Then, the original cell gets fused with another cell of
same genetic material to be cloned. Another technique used, is parthenogenesis. This technique involves
inducement of unfertilized egg to divide and grow as if it were fertilized. As recently as on May 2005, a team of
scientists led by Mr Hwang Woo-Suk attached to Seoul National University, claimed to have created 11 lines of
human stem cells using a different technique.
Benefits of Human Cloning
There are some ways by which human cloning can benefit the humankind. Here is a list of advantages.
Cloning People
One of the main reasons why human cloning turns out to be a scary affair, is that it would allow people to clone
themselves. Just imagine, you could get a twin by cloning yourself. Parents who lose their children to death may
get tempted to clone their dead child. Some may think of cloning Einstein or Usain Bolt and give rise to a
league of superhumans or super-sportsmen. Those against humanity may give rise to clones of the famous
villains in of our history. Although the idea of a clone sounds pretty attractive, no one knows how the clone will
behave and will he/she develop similar personalities like its master clone.
Rejuvenation
It has been found that the production of clone tissue should be helpful in making aging people look young.
According to Dr. Richard Seed, one of the leading proponents of human cloning technology, one day it should
be possible to reverse the aging process.
Heart attack Treatment
Today, heart attack is the number one killer in the developed as well as developing countries. Scientists believe
that by cloning healthy heart cells and injecting them in to the damaged heart area, they can treat heart attacks.
Human stem cells
It has been experimented that nascent cells can be grown to produce human organs or tissues. This can be used
for repairing or replacing the damaged organs. A combination of human stem cells production and human
cloning technology can be used to produce tissues for suffering people, which are otherwise rejected by, their
immune system.
Infertility treatment
The success rate of current infertility treatments is very low. Further, the couple has to go through tormenting
procedures with a small chance of getting a child. The advent of cloning technology will make it possible for
infertile couples to have child than ever before.
Use in Surgeries
Presently silicon gels and other cosmetics are being used in surgery. These materials not only suit the patients
but also cause immune disease. In human cloning, doctors, instead of using materials foreign to the body are
able to grow cells, bones, tissues that match that of person taking treatment. Victims of terrible accidents with
deformed faces can hope to have their features repaired with safe technology. The case of breast implants for
cosmetic reasons is also similar. With the silicone implants, people developed illness of their immune system.
Defective genes
It is estimated that an average person has 8 defective genes inside him. People with defective genes will develop
illness in spite of their keeping good health otherwise. With cloning, it is possible to have genes without any
defects.
Other benefits
By switching cells on and off through cloning, it has been found that cancer can be cured. The phenomenon of
cells differentiating in to specific kinds of tissue was baffling the scientists. Cloning may hold the key in
making them understand differentiation and cancer. Down's syndrome, liver failure, kidney failure, leukemia,
spinal cord injury, genetic diseases are some of the ailments which can also be cured by cloning.
The success stories of human cloning and creating tissue cells have come from different parts of the world.
People have also been treated with the technology and have started, realizing some benefits of cloning. The
response and feedback the Human Cloning Foundation has been getting is a testament of the popularity this
form of science is getting all over the world. But, many countries have not accepted this. The human cloning
has not been given legal status in many countries. However, the stem cell research has been accepted by some
governments. Till the scientific community comes up with a legally acceptable human clone, God, the creator of
all human beings, born and to be born, can continue to enjoy, the status of a "creative maverick"!
By Jayashree Pakhare
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/human-cloning-benefits.html
For Extra purpose only!!!!!!
Cloning: How, why… and why not
By: Alan Boyle NBC news
What is cloning? Cloning is the process of creating a new organism by copying genetic information from a
single “parent” organism.
In a sense, identical twins could be considered clones of each other, but today the term is most commonly
applied to a technique called “nuclear transfer.” In this process, the nucleus of an egg (which has half the
chromosomes for a new individual) is removed and replaced with a nucleus from a donor cell (which has the
full set of chromosomes). A chemical bath or electrical shock then sparks the cell to start dividing.
In “therapeutic cloning,” the cloned cells are harvested shortly after they begin dividing, when only a few new
cells have been created. Many researchers believe the cells resulting from this technique could be used to grow
new tissues for use in organ transplant and to treat diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
In “reproductive cloning,” the developing embryo is implanted into a woman’s womb and allowed to come to
term. This is what scientists at a foundation called Clonaid claim to have done for the first time in history, using
an egg as well as a nucleus donated by the mother to create a cloned baby, code-named “Eve.”
The distinction between therapeutic and reproductive cloning is crucial for understanding the debate over the
science, ethics and politics of the procedure. Click through the interactive below to learn more about the process.
Is a clone a physical carbon copy of the original? The cloned offspring shares the genetic blueprint of the
original, contained within nuclear DNA, but scientists say other factors would make the clone different from its
parent.
Mitochondrial DNA, which serves as the fuel factory for every living cell, would come from the donor egg
rather than the implanted nucleus. Hormonal influences from the surrogate mother would cause differences in
development. Also, some physical characteristics — such as your fingerprint pattern — are determined by
random combinations during fetal development. (That’s why even identical twins have different fingerprints.)
Why are scientists so skeptical of the claims? To begin with, cloning isn’t an easy feat, says Dr. Ian Smith,
an NBC medical correspondent.
“It takes the right skill level, it takes the right technology, and many times it takes a lot of luck,” he said.
Clonaid’s researchers and backers don’t have a lot of credibility with the scientific community, in part because
they have been linked to a space-alien sect known as the Raelians.
The company’s most visible scientist, Brigitte Boisselier, has very little background in the field and has kept
virtually all the details of the project under wraps.
How did we get to this point? Cloning was the stuff of science fiction until 1997, when British-based
researchers produced a cloned sheep named Dolly.
In the years since then, cattle, cats, pigs and mice have been cloned through the nuclear transfer method, and a
rhesus monkey has been “cloned” through a less complex process known as embryo-splitting.
Research into human embryo cloning has been driven primarily by the potential benefits of cloned tissue for
treating disease, and the scientific mainstream has tried to discourage work in reproductive cloning. Only a few
researchers on the fringe have been trying to produce babies.
Is human cloning dangerous? In addition to the purely metaphysical and ethical questions, there are safety
questions as well. In the experiment that led to Dolly, it took 277 attempts to come up with one successfully
cloned sheep. Lanza said the chances of success look somewhat better if you look only at cloned animal
embryos judged worthy of implanting in the uterus. Nevertheless, only about 50 percent of the implanted animal
embryos resulted in pregnancies, he said, and only one or two out of every 10 embryos were successfully
carried to term. The published research indicates that 25 to 30 percent of the animals that came to term suffered
abnormalities, Lanza said.
What kinds of problems have cloned animals experienced? Lanza said cloned offspring have evidenced
dozens of health problems, including obesity, seizures, tumors, severe cardiovascular problems, thymus
problems and joint problems.
Many of the problems are not apparent at birth, and there’s not enough of a track record to determine the full
array of maladies that could arise during a clone’s life.
Scientists suspect that the problems are linked to abnormalities in gene expression that arise during the cloning
process. Some researchers have reported that the cells of cloned animals appear to have shorter telomeres —
snippets of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that have been linked to the cellular aging process. They suggest
that the telomeres may play a key role in the cloned animals’ health problems, but other researchers aren’t so
sure.
Why would anyone want a cloned baby? Clonaid says Eve’s mother is a 31-year-old American woman who
went through the cloning process because her husband is infertile. The organization says other clients are trying
to have babies who will genetically match children they have lost. The Raelians, meanwhile, believe that
humans could achieve a kind of immortality by cloning themselves, then somehow transferring their
consciousness from one generation to the next.
Is the U.S. going to outlaw human cloning? The House passed proposed legislation last year aimed at
banning therapeutic as well as reproductive human cloning, but the measure was stalled in the Democratic-led
Senate.
The Senate is now coming under Republican control, however, and the new majority leader is Bill Frist, a
Tennessee physician opposed to both varieties of human cloning. Frist contends that researchers don’t need to
resort to cloning to pursue research into embryonic stem cells.
The Bush administration’s bioethics advisory panel has recommended a ban on reproductive human cloning and
a four-year moratorium on therapeutic cloning — which many researchers in the field say would effectively
amount to a ban.
On Friday, the White House said it was “deeply troubled” by Clonaid’s announcement, and Frist was quoted as
saying the announcement “should serve as a chilling reminder that individuals are still trying to clone human
beings.”
Observers on both sides of the cloning issue expect a renewed political push for anti-cloning legislation during
the next congressional session.
Is anyone else trying to clone humans? Italian fertility doctor Severino Antinori predicts that his separate
project will result in the birth of a cloned baby boy in January.
Advanced Cell Technology, the Massachusetts-based company where Lanza does his research, has been the
only U.S. laboratory openly involved in therapeutic human cloning. Stanford University announced this month
that it would conduct research into nuclear transfer technology, but it backed away from using the “cloning”
label.
A number of laboratories outside the United States are involved in therapeutic human cloning research, sparking
concerns among some scientists that U.S. research institutions could lose their edge in the biomedical field.
Several countries, including Britain, have established laws that outlaw reproductive human cloning while
allowing therapeutic cloning.