Though cloning offers many helpful factors to the medical world and society, a large percentage of society are concerned with the effects of cloning will have on individuals. One of the main implications is the suggestion that cloning is unnatural. However, there are many pieces of evidence to substantiate the fact that cloning is a completely natural process. Firstly, some organisms in nature only reproduce using cloning, such as yeast and bacteria. In nature sexual reproduction is the only way to improve the genetic stock of a species. Asexual species, on the other hand, tend to die off unless the process of cloning is involved. If the human race were to adopt this method of reproduction, which it is indeed possible, cloning would be a completely natural process. Furthermore, nature is also constantly cloning people at a frequent rate. It has been approximated that 1 in 1000 births in the United Kingdom are of identical twins. These naturally occurring identical twins have a totally identical genetic code and are genetic and physical clones of each other. Clones, like twins, are genetically an identical twin of another embryo. This evidence goes to show that cloning is indeed a natural process. There is also evidence to oppose the argument suggesting cloning robs the clone of individuality. Despite the extent of the individual characteristics twins and clones have in common, they are completely different people. They have their own identities, their own thoughts and their own rights. Twins would also have their own souls, as would a cloned individual. Twin studies in the 1990’s tell us that we are as much influenced by our environment as we are by genes and therefore we naturally become individuals. This also applies to clones.
Perhaps one of the main causes for opposition to cloning is religion and the influence of religious leaders. In many social battles, religion and science have held a large variety of different fundamental ideologies, as shown in the debate of cloning. While science is based on experimentation and observation, religion is based on faith and things that cannot be proven. It is this faith that has influenced society to oppose cloning greatly. Some people argue against cloning as it is seen as a way of “playing God”. Firstly, in today’s world medical research has enabled doctors to have maximum control over human life and in a sense “play God” every single day. Less than two years ago, similar issues involving “test-tube babies” were raised, and since then 30,000 babies have been born in the United States alone. Why, therefore can we create babies in test tubes and not create babies by cloning? In the same way, the intake of medical prevention’s such as birth control pills, have become socially accepted. Why, therefore should we be able to eliminate a baby through the use of birth control pills and abortions and not to create babies by cloning? Secondly, how can we say that cloning is against God’s intentions? What are God’s intentions? Neither does the Bible state any direct opposition to cloning, nor do we have the right to imply these beliefs onto those whose religious morality is not even an issue. The beliefs of some people should not deprive others of the benefits of cloning. Certain religious beliefs within society, such as those who think that taking antibiotics or receiving blood transfusions is wrong, do not restrict those of other religions and beliefs from receiving benefits from them. Therefore why should religion dominate over decisions to legalise cloning in the Unites Kingdom when there are far greater medical and social advantages?
On the other hand, there are a number of compelling arguments that state that the cloning of human beings is morally and ethically wrong. Scientists and ethics alike have debated for many years on this topic. While some believe cloning is beneficial towards medical research, recent studies show that cloning may result in harmful physical abnormalities and the possibility of death. Research suggests that through cloning, at best, only one attempt in every hundred would succeed, producing large numbers of stillbirths, miscarriages and deformed children. Half of the cloned children that will come to term will die late in pregnancy or soon after birth. Any of the few babies who do survive, would probably bear at least one distinct sign of their birth, including an extremely large navel. This would be caused by the oversized umbilical cord that develops during the pregnancies of clones. Clones also tend to suffer from “Large Offspring Syndrome”, a term used to describe the development problems that strike about 50% of cloned babies after birth or during pregnancy. Likewise, about half of cloned children will suffer over bodily development. Most will have enlarged placentas and faulty livers. Similarly, three in four foetuses that may survive will most likely be large in weight, at approximately 15lb. This will cause death within the first few weeks after birth; as the weight of the clone will cause heart and blood vessel problems, under developed lungs, diabetes or immune system defections. Even the scientists responsible for the first cloning act in the 1970’s agree that “the more you interfere with reproduction, the more danger there is of things going wrong”. On top of this, there are grounds for believing that a person cloned from an adult cell might have a higher risk of cancer or premature ageing than regular human being. This is due to the fact that as we get older our cellular DNA gradually accumulates mutations and suffers other changes that create cancer. By cloning we are passing this into the cloned being and therefore creating automatic cancer. But is society prepared to take the risk for the sake of medical research and development? Another more hideous, yet potentially lifesaving, aspect of cloning is using clones to manufacture a new organ. In theory it should be possible to take a semi-specialised cell developed from a fertilised egg and treat in a laboratory so that it reacts to form a perfect replacement. However, a simpler approach would be to collect aborted foetuses in an operating theatre and then surgically remove organs and tissues for transplantation. In addition to physical harm and the undermining of clones, there are worries about the psychological harms on cloned children. It is believed that the cloning of human beings would result in severe psychological effects for the cloned child. Thought these effects are less obvious, they are nonetheless, very plausible. One of those harms is the loss of identity, or sense of uniqueness and individuality. Many argue that cloning crates serious issues of identity and individuality and forces humans to consider the definition of self.
Cloning is a procedure that is not only open to many of the same dangers and abuses as medical research states. It is, furthermore, worrying that people might be egotistic enough to clone themselves to make offspring. This may be seen as a benefit as clones can be used to replace deceased loved ones, but it can also disillusion the creator and demean for the clone. This procedure, if put into the wrong hands, can be used to create exact copies of celebrities, scientists, the healthy, intelligent, athletic beings, and will become the commodities on a world market. Dictators will be able to clone weak-willed soldiers and physically fit soldiers into armies and in theory create a “super race”. The manufacture of this “super race” is one of the most important reason cloning is illegal in the United Kingdom. As previously said, the cloning of deceased loved ones is believed to be unethical as it dehumanises the new individual because he or she can be considered the product of an assembly line. People need to understand that the genetic identity of the person does not guarantee identical personality and behaviour, and must not to impose their expectations and limitations on the child just because it is a clone of another being. In addition, cloning removes the chance element from the lottery of reproduction; this manipulation of the human race can lead to a variety of implications. The danger that genes could be manipulated, is a growing concern, as it will make it possible to control an entire population and make it vulnerable to genetic weapons that could be developed to target certain people.
Despite the growing concerns for the use of cloning in society, a large percentage are concerned with the effects of cloning will have on individuals. One of the main implications is the suggestion that cloning is unnatural. Though it is in fact easier to copy all the genetic code of a cell than it is to rewrite it, manipulating and copying a cell to create another human being by intense laboratory work is indeed unnatural when it compares to natural human reproduction. It is suggested that naturally occurring identical twins have a totally identical genetic code and are clones of each other and therefore makes cloning a natural process. However, there is evidence to substantiate that cloning is unnatural, despite its similarities to the procedure of developing identical twins. Cloned embryos can have births separated from the original embryo by many years, and can be stored and frozen. Clones can also be born with different parents. This evidence suggests that cloning is a violation of the natural process of reproduction and if therefore not natural at all. Cloning, by definition, also robs people of their individuality. One of the biggest objections to cloning is that it denies an individual the right to inherit a unique set of genes. Recent polls say that 80% of parents think it is unfair that we can choose the genetics of our offspring. A cloned child would be born with a baggage of unrealistic expectations and hopes for its development. In addition, physical abnormalities would isolate the clone, and perhaps even deny it of normal human rights and would be outcaste from society or a handicap to families.
Cloning has, in addition, been a victim of disgust for religious reasons for many years. The influence of religious leaders perhaps, being one of the biggest causes for opposition. Cloning is believed to be the first step in man becoming one with God and is an affront to nature and a blasphemy. Christians believe that human beings were made in the image of God and are uniquely different from other species, as conscious, creative, physical and spiritual beings, capable of making moral choices. We have been commanded to “fill the earth and subdue it… ruling over every living creature’ as stewards of God’s creation. Furthermore, many believe that the creation of babies through cloning is against God’s will and against his true intentions. It is argued that God made man in his image with the intent for man to become one with God and to have almost as much knowledge and power. However, the Bible gives a substantial amount of evidence to oppose this statement. Firstly, people need to realise that our responsibility is to take care of God’s world, including each other and not to manipulate each other in ways such as cloning. Secondly, we need to recognise that human life has a spiritual dimension and is therefore to be treated as a scared mystery, with the up most respect. Thirdly, we need to appreciate that if it was God’s intent to allow man to create life then we should not abuse the gift of reproduction that is present within human nature by manipulating the process of reproduction to suit out needs.
To conclude, though cloning could be used in various ways to benefit the lives of humans, I still believe it is dehumanising and is a disgusting attempt to become one with God. Due to the ethical and moral implications, cloning would be wrong for the human race to support or advocate. The sheer loss of life in humans is enough to prove that cloning would be a foolish endeavour whatever the cause. It is, however, inevitably going to take place for as long as the medical world continues to indoctrinate society and dominate over religion. I believe that if it does become legal, it could create a worldwide catastrophe that no one would be able to stop. The question we need to ask ourselves now is: will the human race be able to face the consequences of human cloning if it was made illegal?
