Brian Seery

How would you like your body to live forever? Cloning answers this question. What do you know about cloning? Do you know the problems caused? Cloning is defined as a way of genetically making the young of an organism by joining two cells of the organism and letting it grow.

1997 had an extreme outburst of advancement in technology and science but one advancement stood out among the rest, cloning the first mammal. Cloning is now viewed, as a real progression in science and technology-showing cloning can be a capability. Bans have limited the freedom of cloning in many countries. Cloning has so many different interesting viewpoints such as people saying it should be done and some saying it should not be done. Still the future of cloning remains uncertain. Cloning is not greeted with the same excitement as when astronauts reached the moon so Chemical and bacterial warfare does not seem to be as important as other events when it could be more important. After years of research scientist finally made their first successful mammal clone on February 24th 1997. It took over 250 experiments in Scotland until they finally cloned Dolly (see A1) the sheep. U.S.A Today rated cloning as number 79 in the most important events in the 20th century but it should be rated higher and with more respect because it changed the history of science and technology. After the discovery of cloning in 1952 researchers and journalists quickly became interested but they did not know it would be 40 years later when the first clone became successful.

Scientist practiced using different methods to make different living organisms. Cloning helps people gain more knowledge about a certain species of life form by telling you if their genes can be spliced and cloned. Some people think cloning requires just taking two cells then joining them together but unfortunately it does not work like this. You have to mechanically fuse a cell together/onto another cell with no nucleus. Since the DNA in the nucleus contains all the information it has been removed from one cell which means it needs the DNA from the other and creates into an embryo which will develop into a replica of the animal where the cell with DNA taken from it. This can be very hard; it took over 270 attempts to clone Dolly in Scotland. Another possible way to Clone is to have a gene transfer which keeps the embryonic cells, genes will be active but only scientist know how to do it without damaging the whole cell.

There are not many causes for cloning. Due to this many causes being involved in cloning, people have different views on it, mainly because there may not be many reasons to clone, but still a very interesting subject so people look into it more. Scientist practice research and cloning in many countries around the world where people always try to clone something new such as in the United States, Scotland and England. After being proved successful to clone in 1952 from the 1865 law of genetics (see B1) scientist have attempted to have a successful clone. But still the first successful clone, Dolly the sheep, remains the first with scientist in Edinburgh Scotland.

Unfortunately there are so many risks involved in cloning. Cloning can result in premature birth. Premature birth for the clone would make the clone mentally ill. Psychological harm to the clone and dangers can be involved to the spliced molecules, which may not recombine and form new life forms. But experiments are tested to see what can stop it.

Human cloning is banned all around the world because it brings up all the issues of cloning to a higher extent but there are still some advantages to cloning. Human cloning has advantages however; it prevents depression of a lost one if you clone someone. Human cloning however should not be limited by legislation and should be “reproductive freedom of choice.” (Gary McCuen 12)

People started putting more money and research into cloning, which has had immediate affects to more clones. Cloning is such an interesting topic and you gain a lot of knowledge out of it such as knowledge on the genetic ways of life. So by putting this money into it you can gain knowledge about cloning, research more and make more clones.

Many people have been looking into putting bans against cloning because of the issues it causes. Banning of cloning in the United States means you may only research it. After reading about cloning being ethical it brings up an excellent point and shows how the conflict over being banned. In some cultures you have to stay honest and ethical like the Judeo Christian culture it says "life giving love” (GN 2.24, MK 10.8 EPH 5.31).

Cloning brings up many issues such as: it violates dignity and rights for the clone and the cloned by keeping them segregated and the parents/donor would determine gender, likes, dislikes and what they do. Also a lot is not accomplished such as a genetic clone having to wait the time of the donor before being compared. It would not be beneficial for medical purposes either because it does not help out; it only shows the genetic structure of an organism so it becomes not economical. Many imperfect results will occur so it would be sinful to dispose of the clone. The clone will have no original parents and both the clone and donor will be discriminated in public. Theirs also a difference between “having a child” and “making a child”(Gary McCuen). Having would be a “gift” but making would be a “thing” which would not be respected and would be priced on what it does. At the age of the organism being cloned you would have to wait many years to compare but then the object would be twice the age. There have been bans against human cloning but unfairly none against animal cloning (only in the United States). This should be treated as animal abuse but instead it supposedly helps invent biomedical treatments and advances drug therapy to combat disease and helps you learn more about animal genes which now only have 5-10% known. All the effects stay the same and they all have the same outcomes no matter what immediate, long term and future effects. There will always be more knowledge about cloning due to everyday experiments being performed.

Cloning is very interesting in many different ways. False facts about cloning increase everyday. Some of these false facts: like there being a clone exactly the same in every way they grow up and grow exactly the same way their clone does. The clone actually only is genetically same and not behaviorally and physical.

Cloning is wrong mainly because altering with a creation is wrong and it violates ethic rights. It is an honor to have offspring but not if it is not natural. People say animal cloning is an achievement and cloning humans is a waist but to me they would both be achievements and waists for violating the rights of the donor and clone and improving the status of science and technology. It is a achievement because it improves science and technology but it would be a waist because there are way to many issues brought up about it so it is no use to clone or try fighting back since you can barely do anything about it.

The 40 years of research and experiments proved useful but no one knew it would lead up to this question of “should cloning be done?” It has caused to many issues but has made a clear spot in record books.