Animal cloning

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INTRODUCTION

A clone is a genetic copy of another living organism -animal, plant or human. Animal cloning is a widely discussed issue in our society today. The question now is whether the Australian government should ban animal cloning. Many opinions are generated from this subject, such as the justifiability of cloning, and how far it should go. Religious views are prevalent, so too are numerous ethical concerns. The issue of whether or not the government should ban cloning has gained progressive attention, as the science of animal cloning is further perfected.

BIOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

Animal cloning is the process of creating a biological replicate of another organism with the exact genetic makeup of the original individual. Two processes can be used to obtain clones. The first process is called "embryo splitting." In the laboratory, an embryo is created by joining a sperm cell from a male animal donour, with an egg cell from a female animal donour. The embryo begins to divide into two cells, and these cells are separated and implanted in different foster mothers. This process has been successful in the cloning of mammals such as cattle, pigs, rabbits, mice, sheep and goat.