Essay, Research Paper: Cloning

Cloning. It s the ability to create an exact genetic duplicate of another living thing. This form of science puts humans on an almost god like level. We have the ability to create what we want; however we want it. We have the ability to resurrect famous people from the past. We have the ability to clone various organs and tissues for use in transplants. We have the ability to resurrect dinosaurs, an animal that nature wanted to become extinct. We have the ability to clone humans. These last two examples are where I draw the line for cloning. Humans have no right to meddle with the natural order of things. The resurrection of extinct animals, within reason, and the cloning of humans is something that I totally disagree with.
The cloning of extinct animals is ok with me only if it is done in a controlled environment with very strict security standards. Nature decided that these animals were no longer suited to live on the earth, so nature got rid of them. Nature adapted to the loss and maintains a strict homeostasis. Now that the technology of cloning is a very real thing, people will get the idea of resurrecting these animals. I feel that the most important thing to consider is that are these animals going to be harmful to nature if by some chance they escape. Nature has made a balance between all of the animals in it and introducing an extinct animal back into the community will have major consequences. It will upset the natural balance and will destroy nature. An animal that was extinct and was brought back into today s environment will have no natural predators. They will multiply and over run their environment. They will eat up the food of the other natural animals and will cause them to go extinct. If the animals are kept in a secure facility to study them, an idea from a recent movie, then I think it is a good idea.
Human cloning is a bad idea. The idea of creating a person exactly like another person is a very scary thought. God didn t intend for another person to be a perfect genetic match with another person. Having an exact genetic replica raises some security problems. If a person has a clone and the clone commits a crime, how are law enforcement officials going to pick out the correct perpetrator? The two individuals are genetically alike and physically alike, how can people tell them apart? Also, people with access to very high security areas could be cloned unknowingly and have their clone access information nobody else was intended to see. This would be the perfect way for other countries to spy on the United States. The only way that I see that human cloning is ok, is cloning part of a human. Cloning a heart or a liver for transplant is a great thing. Researchers also hope that one day, the ability to clone adult human cells will make it possible to grow new hearts and livers and nerve cells. (Gibbs 49). Which means that new, pristine tissue could be grown in labs to replace damaged or diseased parts of the body. (Gibbs 56). A picture caption says, Marion Vuchetich hopes tissue from her late son may be the source of future organ transplants of her family. (Gibbs 50). That is the only way I can justify the cloning of a human.
67% of people surveyed think that cloning is a bad idea. (Gibbs 55). I am partially with these people. Cloning is a good idea if and only if it is carried out under very strict rules and guidelines. With out them, the world will be full of copycats, not of real people.