Cloning

Phyllis Richardson Law & Ethics The Ethical Question: To Clone or Not to Clone Human cloning can be defined as the production of genetically identical organisms through somatic cell transfer. You take an egg and remove its nucleus, take DNA from an adult and insert into the egg either by fusing the adult cell with the unucleated egg, or by a sophisticated nuclear transfer. The egg is then stimulated electronically or chemically to make the egg divide, and become an embryo. This sort of makes the development of a child seem like it is assembled and not reproduced. There is no mentioning of the love shared between a man and woman, or intercourse- the physical sexual contact between a man and a woman. So, the question is: is it ethical to for a child to be produced via petri dish, or born naturally' I believe that cloning is unethical, because no one should have the permission to play God, there is no consent and a low survival rate with cloning, and the technology involved with cloning is not well developed. Cloning should be considered unethical, because it gives individuals permission to play God. Giving birth is a natural phenomenon that God blesses individuals with. However, some individuals just are not blessed with this precious gift. Some will argue that both conventional conceptions and cloning are alike, because both cases involve the removal of DNA from the embryos. However, during conventional conception, the removal of DNA is a natural process that takes place during gestation. During cloning, this process is done by man and takes away the natural concept of creating a child. Another reason I feel that cloning is unethical and a procedure that should not be used is that there is no consent and a very low success rate with cloning. Patients who participate in research for cloning are asked for consent, but who is getting consent from the offspring who will be cloned. The answer is no one! The offspring are the individuals who face the greatest risk of abnormality and death, and they are forced into this procedure without having any word in the matter. Furthermore, cloning has a very low success rate. There have been many reproductive cloning studies. All of the studies done with cloning have been done with animals such as cows, cattle, goats, mice, and sheep. There are very few of these experiments that have been successful. There has even been a failed human cloning attempt. Dr. Panos Zavos is a US fertility expert. In 2004, he implanted an embryo into a 35 year old woman, even though he knows that cloning can produce deformities in pregnancies which result in a birth. The embryo was created by using the woman’s immature egg and a skin cell from her husband. The pregnancy was supposed to develop two to three weeks after the embryo was developed, but the results came back negative. Dr. Zavos told the press, “Successful or not, we are going to do another and another one and another until we succeed.” Does this sound like an attempt to help people, or does it sound like sound like a desperate chance at personal achievement, fame, and glory' Last but not least, cloning is unethical because of the technology used in cloning. The most popular technique is somatic cell nuclear transfer. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is the transfer of the nucleus from a somatic cell into an egg from which the nucleus has been removed. Dolly the sheep was cloned using the somatic cell nuclear transfer. Sheep can live to be eleven to twelve years of age, and Dolly only lived to be six. Image this with a human couple who have hoped and prayed for a child. Do you think it is better for them to adopt, or to clone a child that will only live a few years' Cloning definitely has its pros and cons. Cloning could be a great way for gay couples, or couples who cannot have children on their own. However, there is too little known about the dynamics of human cloning to even consider taking the concept seriously at this present time. Plus, cloning takes away from the natural beauty of a man and woman coming together to create life. The success rate of cloning is slim to none with animals, and there has not been any success with human cloning. Also, the technology used with cloning is still in a progression stage, and is nowhere near ready to start human cloning. Therefore, I believe that cloning is unethical, because no one should have the permission to play God, there is no consent and a low survival rate with cloning, and the technology involved with cloning is not well developed. References Bose, Debopriya. “Human Cloning Facts.” Buzzle. 21 Sept. 2011. n. pag. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/human-cloning-facts.html. British Broadcasting Company. “Human Cloning Attempt Has Failed.” British Broadcasting News. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3459009.stm. Farnsworth, Joseph. “To Clone or Not to Clone: The Ethical Question”. Yenra, 2002. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. http://www.yenra.com/pros-and-cons-of-human-cloning/.