Arguments for and Against Cloning
Arguments For and Against Cloning
The end of the twentieth century was the information age. Now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, we are entering a new age which people believe will be driven by medicine. As a result, topics like healthcare and euthanasia have become more prominently debated, especially with people living longer and medical advances getting better. However, one of the most hotly debated topics is cloning. With the birth of Dolly on July 5, 1996, the first animal to be cloned swept in a new age of ethical discussion. As is with similar discussions, like that on euthanasia or even cryogenics, it becomes more complex than just whether the good outweighs the bad. Should scientists be allowed to clone humans? Are some situations more appropriate than others? In this paper, I will take a look at both sides of the argument on whether cloning should be made available to humans.
Most people think of cloning as taking a human and making a genetically identical one. This is called reproductive cloning and most arguments center around this. There is also a second type of cloning called therapeutic cloning, in which embryonic stem cells are used to treat patients, such as those with spinal cord injuries. When we hear the words stem cell research, this refers to this type of cloning. As of now, the applications of therapeutic cloning are limited but it is believed that eventually it can be used to create a new arm, leg, or organs.
First, let us look at how cloning can be beneficial. Reproductive cloning allows infertile or same-sex couples to have biologically-related children. Some may claim that the ability to have a child and pass on a “bloodline” is a right. With reproductive cloning, reproduction becomes more accessible and is no longer restricted to between a man and woman. Additionally, reproductive cloning can be used by a couple to replace a child who may have died prematurely, using DNA from the deceased child to create a genetically identical copy. Both of these uses can have largely positive psychological effects on the parents. Reproductive cloning may actually one day be used to save the words’ population, perhaps at the brink of total annihilation: there may be a situation in the future where “for example, extreme circumstances may require the re-creation of certain desirable genomes” (“Arguments For Reproductive Cloning”). Furthermore, one can argue that cloning is a required next step in the advancement of human society: there might come a time when we seek individuals of superior intellect or talent. It can be claimed that human cloning is a technological advancement that should be considered nothing differently than any other advancement in history, such as those made during the Industrial Revolution or the Information Age. Finally, cloning may lower the chance of passing on a gene-based disorder, especially if the parents are carriers.