Ethics of Human Cloning
Two Major Types of Cloning
In the 1980 epoch, numerous scientists initiated researching formulas of cloning the high order animals, particularly mammals (Kass 2002, p. 7). The heightening success of their research and experiments has resulted into pervasive discussion over the probability of human cloning. This discussion has elicited extensive disagreements within the scientific society and the entire public over whether the research of human cloning is right. The two major techniques of cloning animals of higher order are subject to widespread scientific study.
One method occurs naturally to some humans when a woman bears triplets or twins. This occurs when the zygote or fertilized egg, when in the initial development stages divides into detached units (McLaren, 2002 p. 25). These parts then grow into identical and genetically matching persons. Scientists stimulated such an artificial process in cattle. Researchers in Washington DC conducted trials on human twinning by artificial means. The researchers willingly performed cloning on embryos that were genetically abnormal and had no survival chances.
Nuclear transplantation is the other cloning technique. In this method, the cloning specialist transfers the nucleus of a living cell to an egg or fuses the nucleus with it. The egg itself does not have a nucleus. When most people discuss the issue of human cloning, they envisage use of some sort of nuclear transplantation. Since September 2000, this activity has never or no one knows if it has ever occurred (McLaren, 2002 p. 39). For a long period, numerous scientists have affirmed that application of nuclear transplantation to build a clone from a mature mammal cell was impractical due to alarming biological obstructions. Since all mammalian cells contain similar complete genetic information as the foremost-fertilized egg, they have developed to specialization. When cells develop, some genetic information is regularly turned on and off for the formation of skin cells, nerve cells, blood cells and other kinds of cells.
The major barricade to scientists' success in cloning human beings was the lack of knowledge of assimilating and reprogramming cells. Their aim would be subdividing a cell, developing it into a whole animal, and not reprogramming the cell to produce more cells. In 1980 and 1990, scientists managed to clone mammalian cells through nuclear transplantation, but the experiments...
(Weiler, 1998) Weiler states that in relation to the offspring the following must be examined closely: 1) a single parent (genetically) of the offspring which is at the same time a genetic sibling. This issue parallels the non-zygotic fertilization; 2) Multiple twinship. Cloning a number of brothers or sisters from the same cell is similar to the case of twins only more extreme due to the intervention occurring in the process of
Legal costs might also haunt governments that allow cloning research. To prevent complications related to direct government investments in cloning research, legislation could open the door for privately-funded cloning research projects while at the same time banning federally- or state-funded research projects. However, most opponents of cloning cite the ethical costs involved in cloning legislation. Opponents of stem cell research sometimes "argue that permitting nuclear transplantation would open the door
Cloning The debate about human cloning was carried out within the field of science fiction and fantasy, until recently. With the victorious cloning of the sheep Dolly in 1997, it became obvious that earlier or later, scientists might be able to clone human beings too. There is both encouragement and disagreement for this likelihood. Though cloning has been explained by newspapers and magazines as an exhilarating step onward that allows genetic
Also, human cloning can be compared to slavery, for the clone is nothing more than a product, much like a slave under the control of its master. In addition, human cloning will create an identity crisis within the cloned individual. For example, a child might be born with only one biological parent, due to the fact that the clone is an exact duplicate of the donor. Also, the clone could
(iii) in the United States, Brazil, Germany and France, humans have been receiving their own stem cells to re-grow heart muscle in the unforeseen incident of heart attack or injury. This was found to be successful in majority of the cases. (iv) in one more incident, the vision of 23 patients was restored after limbal adult stem cell transplants. This line of therapeutic care has assisted a lot of
Although these stem cells are only a few years old, they possess unlimited potential in terms of clinical research. Specifically, scientists are focusing their potential uses in transplant medicine in order to significantly reduce the level of both infections and overall organ rejection in organ transplant surgery. The potential for using stem cells is of vast clinical and medical importance. These cells could potentially allow scientists to learn what occurs
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