Human Cloning

Human cloning is now possible as a result of recent advancements in medicine and technology. Human cloning, however, raises many ethical and moral issues that need to be addressed before this experiment can be fulfilled. The success rate is another issue that should be addressed before proceeding with cloning. How many tries is it going to take before scientists achieve a successful human clone?

The process of human cloning is accomplished by taking a fertilized egg and removing certain cells. These cells are then replaced with the cells of the organism to be cloned. A Chicago physicist, Dr Richard Seed, announced that he would begin conducting experiments on the cloning of humans. According to Seed, human cloning will be done to benefit infertile couples who might opt to have a clone rather than to adopt a child or to use any other method. Seed believes that human beings will eventually become one with God, and that cloning is the first step in achieving this union.

Seed is not the only one who is thinking about human clones there is a group of investors who have already created the first cloning company. The service will be called Clonaid and it is specially targeted to infertile and homosexual couples who want to have a child cloned from one of them. The process will cost $200,000. This company will also offer a service called Insuraclone: “which, for a $50,000 fee, will provide the sampling and safe storage of cells from a living child or from a beloved person in order to create a clone if the child dies of an incurable disease or through an accident” (Rivard, http://www.clonaid.com/).

It took scientists many tries before they successfully cloned animals; the tries that were not successful are probably something one does not want to see. The mistakes have brought out many deformed clones. If they clone humans, these deformities could turn into a monster. Since human cloning is supposedly harder to accomplish than animal cloning, the success rate will be very bad and the failures will be mistakes that we will not want to have happen. These failures will be like a twentieth-century Frankenstein, which, once it is made, cannot be undone. Scientists should be responsible, and accept the consequences of their actions if they were to make a mistake; but no one can afford to make this mistake.

There are many factors against cloning: it could lead to a whole new breed of either slaves or “perfect beings”, the extinction of males, and the various protests of those who oppose to cloning. A person could easily clone him/her self many times in the attempt to use the clones as a working force or even form an army. This working force could be a form of slavery, making the clones less intelligent but stronger and more muscular, suitable for all kinds of hard labor. As mentioned earlier, a problem that rises from the use of cloning is that no sperm is needed in the process. Therefore, the male population could easily die out.

Cloning could also bring about discord in our society. It is most likely that, as it is with abortion, many groups will be against it. Many pro-life organizations are already demonstrating their views against cloning.

Cloning could easily get out of hand and could be used by the wrong people for the wrong reasons. For example, if the possibility of cloning had been available in Hitler’s time who knows where the world would be today? Hitler would definitely have the resources to eliminate all other races and even make everyone in the image and likeness of himself! Cloning is a technological advancement that we are not able to control. As of now, we are not responsible enough to use this power of science properly in view of its many possible consequences.

Bibliography

Rivard, Marc. “Clonaid.” 1 October 1997. Online. Yahoo. 12 April 1998. (http://www.clonaid.com)

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