“Is it time to stop arguing and start cloning? - (New Scientist Jan 2000)
To make Dolly researchers removed the nucleus from an egg and fused what was left with an udder cell from a 6 years old ewe. Proteins in the eggs cytoplasm stripped the udder cell of its genetic controlsand and returned its DNA to an embryonic state. This cell acted like a normal embryo and started to divide.
There are many advantages to this as the new tissue could be used to treat degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntingdon’s and cancers. Through cloning it would be possible to renew activity of damaged cells by growing new cells and replacing them.
It’s reasonable to assume that because the procedure works with sheep and pigs it should be perfectible with humans - (The Daily Telegraph, march 2000). Its been suggested that the procedure that was used to clone Dolly was easier than what will need to be done to clone humans. However its thought this barrier won’t be impossible to climb.
Cloning would allow infertile couples or couples who stand a high chance of producing children with genetic defects, to have children of their own.
It’s argued that clones wouldn’t really be duplicates, as environmental factors would mould the clones into individuals.
Although there’s lots of advantages people disapprove of human stem cell research because they feel it’s immoral and unethical. An argument against human cloning is no one is sure it’s safe and it may create defects in the human gene pool. Many people are worried about the effect cloning would have on society, they are worried that cloning may be used for eugenics- people may try to create a superior breed of people.
Another argument against cloning is that it’s against Gods will and humans don’t have the right to dabble with nature.
‘30 years from now, scientists will be growing whole hearts, livers and even limbs’ (New scientist- Aug. 2000).
Anthony Atala (urologist in children’s hospital in Boston) and his team have grown artificial bladders for dogs in 6 weeks. Its thought embryonic stem cells could be used to make a complex organ in a lab, which could be transplanted, to humans. If this were possible there would be a great advancement in medicine- people would no longer have to wait for donors.
Cloning can revolutionise medicine. Cloning organs and tissues would be a great advantage to society and would lead to many lives being saved. There are many good points to human stem cell research. At the moment there’s a law which bans the research needed to develop therapeutic cloning. Scientists can only work with stem cells less than 14 days old to carry out research in infertility, reproduction and congenial disorders.
After looking at both sides of the argument I think cloning organs and tissues would be a big advantage to society. However, there would need to be very strict limits set as I strongly disagree with trying to clone humans. I believe in God and don’t think anyone has the right to play God and bring life in to this world other than the natural way. Creating humans should be an aspect of human life that’s off limits to science. Many people disagree with human cloning on religious grounds. Some people believe clones would be seen as lower class citizens. “Clones would be created, at least in part to fulfil the will of another human, exercised without consent”- (David Byers- “an absence of love”)
Cloning is something, which could be helpful in finding ways to cure diseases. If we start to clone humans there may be defects and diseases in the offspring. There is too much we don’t know about what effect cloning would have on the offspring. Its been suggested that with human cloning it would be possible “to toss aside the uniqueness of humanity and trash the concept of human dignity” (Dr. Bohlin- “ The natural limits to biological change”).
Another critical question concerns the life span of clones. All cells have a built in senescence (death) after a certain number of cell divisions; e.g. a normal life span for an ewe is around 11 years. It’s possible that Dolly could die younger as her cells have gone through embryological development twice. But it could be that Dolly’s cells were reprogrammed from mammary cell functions back to embryological functions. Therefore the senescence clock was reset, allowing dolly to have a normal life span. Society has to be careful, as we don’t really know what cloning can really bring us. By trying to clone humans we could cause devastating effects - no one knows how cloning could effect the human gene pool.
Bibliography
The Cloning Prohibition Act of 1997
New Scientist - 19 August 2000
29 January 2000
The Daily Telegraph -15 March 2000
The Guardian - 21 August 1999
“The natural limits to biological change” -Dr Ray Bohlin
“An Absence of Love” - David Byers
Ethical issues on human cloning - www.worldbook.com
