Murder Of Human Embryos Cloning example essay topic

To Clone or not To Clone - That is the Question Cloning is the ultimate breakthrough that scientists have achieved in the field of biotechnology. It is really stunning that the brilliance of man has succeeded in decoding the entire human genome. The technology of cloning has established the fact that man can himself create life from a single cell. This has raised one of the most controversial issues of all time. The giant leaps made by man in the field of genetics have raised profound moral questions that strike at the very core of our humanity.

Human cloning opens up a new horizon of myriad possibilities, highly beneficial if used properly, yet monstrous if misused. What was formerly science fiction as presented in the famous novel 'Brave New World' has become a reality in our time. It is indeed a paradox that the same technology can alleviate human suffering, as well as produce inhuman results. Cloning A form of reproduction in which offspring result not from the chance union of egg and sperm (sexual reproduction) but from the deliberate replication of the genetic makeup of another single individual (asexual reproduction). The technique of cloning The following steps have been used to produce live offspring in the mammalian species that have been successfully cloned. Obtain an egg cell from a female of a mammalian species.

Remove its nuclear DNA, to produce an enucleated egg. Insert the nucleus of a donor adult cell into the enucleated egg, to produce a reconstructed egg. Activate the reconstructed egg with chemicals or electric current, to stimulate it to commence cell division. Sustain development of the cloned embryo to a suitable stage in vitro, and then transfer it to the uterus of a female host that has been suitably prepared to receive it. Bring to live birth a cloned animal that is genetically virtually identical (except for the mitochondrial DNA) to the animal that donated the adult cell nucleus. In 1997, the cloning of Dolly the sheep sent shockwaves throughout the world among the scientific and intellectual community.

Photo courtesy Roslin Institute Dolly (left) Cloning was revolutionized when Ian Wilmut and his colleagues at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, successfully cloned Dolly. Dolly was the first cloned mammal. Wilmut and his colleagues transplanted a nucleus from a mammary gland cell of a Finn Dorsett sheep into the enucleated egg of a Scottish blackface ewe. The nucleus-egg combination was stimulated with electricity to fuse the two and to stimulate cell division. The new cell divided and was placed in the uterus of a blackface ewe to develop. Dolly was born months later.

Diagram of the nuclear transfer procedure hat produced the first cloned mammals Dolly was shown to be genetically identical to the Finn Dorsett mammary cells and not to the blackface ewe, which clearly demonstrated that she was a successful clone (it took 276 attempts before the experiment was successful). Dolly has since grown and reproduced several offspring of her own through normal sexual means. Therefore, Dolly is a viable clone. Definition of human cloning The asexual production of a new human organism that is, at all stages of development, genetically virtually identical to a currently existing or previously existing human being. It would be accomplished by introducing the nuclear material of a human somatic cell (donor) into an oocyte (egg) whose own nucleus has been removed or inactivated, yielding a product that has a human genetic constitution virtually identical to the donor of the somatic cell. (This procedure is known as "somatic cell nuclear transfer", or SCNT).

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF GENE CLONING 1. To produce children Production of a cloned human embryo, formed for the purpose of initiating a pregnancy, with the goal of producing a child who will be genetically virtually id eic cell (donor) into an oocyte (egg) whose own nucleus has been removed or inactivated, yielding a product that has a human genetic constitution virtually identical to the donor of the somatic cell. 2. Helping childless couples It might allow infertile couples or others to have genetically-related children or permit couples at risk of conceiving a child with a genetic disease to avoid having an afflicted child. Some parents feel that by cloning a dead child, they can overcome their loss and keep alive its memory. 3.

Organ Transplants Cloning technology for organ harvesting can be very useful to patients in dire need of vital organs. It provides hope to millions of patients who would otherwise die just waiting for donors. 4. Endangered Species Many rare species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction today.

Cloning can offer hope for such species. On January 8, 2001, scientists at Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., announced the birth of the first clone of an endangered animal, a baby bull gaur (a large wild ox from India and southeast Asia) named Noah. This experiment demonstrated that it is possible to save endangered species through cloning. 5. Improving the Human Race Genetic Engineering has the potential to create better, more intelligent and powerful human beings. This could lead to a more advanced and superior civilization.

6. Progress of Science Cloning is a giant leap made by scientists in the field of genetics. If perfected to the ultimate, it would enable scientists to create perfect human beings, resulting in a super race. It may be able to wipe out once and for all debilitating diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and genetically related diseases. ARGUMENTS AGAINST CLONING Cloning empowers scientists to be 'Givers of Life' - a privilege that can be easily misused. Cloning raises very serious ethical and moral issues when it comes to humans.

1. The dilemma of cloning-Ethical issue It is evident that many people see cloning not in a technological sense but in a very human context. Great thought is given to both its potential uses, for reproduction as well as research. The scientific progress in these fields is great, but the ethical dilemma stares us in the face.

Cloning raises grave issues about one's identity and unique personality. The question arises whether to accept children as they are or to design babies as per one's wishes. The technology can offer dazzling solutions and cures for human suffering, yet it provides loopholes for misuse and manipulation of some human beings to benefit others. 2. Deformed Clones - Risks of Mutation The cloning technique is still highly imperfect and risky. Many attempts at animal cloning produced disfigured monsters with severe abnormalities.

It is immoral to carry out such experiments in case of humans. An abnormal baby would be a nightmare comes true. A major risk is the possibility that the genetic material used from the adult will continue to age so that the genes in a newborn baby clone could be for example 30 years old or more on the day of birth. Dolly the Sheep died prematurely of severe lung disease in February 2003, and also suffered from arthritis at an unexpectedly early age - probably linked to the cloning process. Even if a few cloned babies are born apparently normal we will have to wait up to 20 years to be sure they are not going to have problems later -for example growing old too fast. Also, there is a frightful risk of abnormality.

Trying to avoid that would mean creating cloned embryos, implanting them and destroying (presumably) those that look imperfect as they grow in the womb. However some abnormalities may not appear till after birth. A cloned cow recently died several weeks after birth with a huge abnormality of blood cell production. It is unacceptable to even take these risks for human babies.

2. Designer Babies The cloning technology presents the temptation to create "designer babies"- children with superior traits of intelligence, beauty and skill. Babies would be nothing more than manufactured objects or factory products. There would be a price tag for different types of human beings. Ald us Huxley visualized this scenario in his novel 'The Brave New World'. Human traits would be improved no doubt, but human beings would be reduced to perfect market commodities.

This would rob them of individuality and be a greatly dehumanizing process. Cloning to produce children would carry these tendencies to an extreme expression. It could also increase human trafficking. Already there is commerce in egg donation for IVF (In vitro Fertilization), with ads offering large sums of money for egg donors. Cloning can further intensify this disturbing trend. Cloning designer babies would be relative to commercial factors.

3. 'Murder' of Human Embryos Cloning involves a lot of trial and error. Many religious groups see the termination of human cloning experiments as murder. They regard the embryo as a human being, even if not fully developed.

Hence, many people as sacrificing some human beings for the sake of others see using human embryos for stem cell research. 4. Emotional Trauma to the Cloned Child When a cloned child discovers that its 'parent' is actually its twin, it will be confused about its existence. There is unbearable emotional pressure on a teenager trying to establish his or her identity. A cloned child can suffer from low self-esteem if it knows it is nothing more than a replacement for a dead child. It is a human experiment doomed to failure because the child will NOT be identical in every way, despite the hopes of the parents.

One huge reason will be that the child will be brought up in a highly abnormal household: one where grief has been diverted into making a clone instead of adjusting to loss. The family environment will be totally different than that the other twin experienced. That itself will place great pressures on the emotional development of the child. Every child psychiatrist in the world will surely agree that there will be very significant emotional risk to the cloned child as a result of these pressures.

5. Risk of abuse of the technology Imagine what Hitler would have done with cloning technology if available in the 1940's? There are powerful leaders and corrupt scientists in every generation who will seek to abuse this technology for their own selfish purposes. Going ahead with cloning technology makes this far more likely. For good or for evil, cloning is here to stay. It is our moral duty to ensure that the technologies unleashed by human intelligence are utilized for the benefit of humanity as a whole.