Essay, Research Paper: Human Cloning

Human Cloning…

Most people panic when they hear the words “Human Cloning”. Crazy thoughts run through their heads, imaginations run wild. They think of the world being run over by a million little Hitler’s. They think of people thinking exactly like one another, and that no person would be different. And for some reason because of cloning, the world, as we know it will cease to exist. Cloning to some people is even considered “evil.” Most religious people believe that it is “Playing God”, they think that mankind is not supposed to have this power.
Cloning, however, is not a magical way of creating life. It is a scientific procedure that will save many lives, cure diseases and let infertile couples have biological children of their own. Many mammals have already been cloned successfully and lead normal lives. The clone will not be the exact same person as the donor. They will look alike and have the same genes, but they will not talk, think, or act alike. In fact, if someone attempted to clone Hitler they might end up with a moderately talented artist. Neither will the clone start off at the same age as the donor. If the donor is 35 the clone will start off as a normal baby.
The benefits of human cloning are many. One of the most crucial problems in the world is finding organ donors that have compatible organs with the person that needs them. If there is a patient with a very rare blood type, chances are that they will die before they find a match. Using cloning technology, you can clone a person’s organs, grow them, and then use them for a transplant. The organ is guaranteed to be 100% compatible with the patient. This procedure could save millions upon millions of lives. I can not understand how anyone could say that we have “A moral obligation to ban cloning” when it could save millions of people’s lives. I am sure if it was them lying on their deathbed, they would be screaming, “Clone my kidneys!”
Another benefit is that using cloning technology otherwise infertile couples will be able to have their very own biological children. To do this you do not need viable sperm or egg, any cell will do. There are 12,000 infertile people in the U.S. alone. One of the most common reasons for suicide, divorce and depression is infertility. There are other options for infertile people, but they are painful, costly, and have a very low success rate. Besides, how would you like some other woman giving birth to your child using artificial insemination? Just think about it, cloning is the best scientific discovery since penicillin.
Cloning technology can help “perfect” gene therapy, the actual correction or replacement of defective gene sequences. Gene therapy is currently limited because of inefficient vectors, or viruses that convey new genes into cells. A copy of a defective gene is in every cell of the body. These viruses must infect every one of these cells and replace the defective genes with the normal genes. However, these vectors only infect a small amount of cells. This deems gene therapy inefficient. Human cloning can change this. Scientists can determine which cells received the desired gene alteration using fluorescent tags; the cells that were affected would glow. Cloning technology would allow scientists to take a cell that had its genome modified and use it to produce an offspring. The resulting child and its descendants would carry the corrected gene in every cell. Cloning technology may be able cure Tay-Sachs disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease and countless others.
Cloning, is a new procedure, and like every new procedure there are some risks. That is why the government should fund human cloning research. Human cloning is in no way perfected at this time, but without government support more people will continue to die. People will not be able to have biological children and parents will continue to pass down diseases from one generation to the next. Human cloning should be regulated, not banned. The government is the only thing standing in the way of perfected human cloning. Even without government consent scientists will establish secret laboratories and human cloning centers. Some even believe that this kind of research is going on now. Gene therapy is another new science that can help millions of people, but without cloning it will take far more years and countless more lives before it is perfected.

The federal government should regulate human cloning. Banning it would deprive many beneficial treatments from people who need it. I have mentioned only a few of cloning technology’s significant benefits. Cloning technology can lead to a better understanding of cell differentiation. This would allow biologist to produce tissues and organs for transplant. Cloning can help carriers of genetic defects to have healthy children. It can even help to completely eradicate genetic mutations and defects. Treatment of infertility is one of its most promising benefits. Cloning technology can help infertile people to have their own children; one of life’s most powerful biological drives. Besides, ethical implications involved in human cloning are only temporary. They are induced by misconception. Education will change people’s negative attitude towards human cloning. If we give human cloning a chance, it will most likely become a part of our daily lives.


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