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Last edited by Dylan bills19 (talk | contribs) 5 months ago. (Update) |
Cloning is the process of creating genetically identical copies of specific organisms. Cloning has been a subject of fascination to the world for a long time. Cloning used to be considered science fiction but through recent scientific advancements in molecular biology has brought cloning into the scientific and ethical discussion of the modern day world. In this essay I will talk about clonings scientific principles and the ethical dilemmas that it presents. finding the balance between science advancement and its ethics.
The Scientific Principles:
Cloning is the replication of a single organism's genetic material creating a genetically identical copy of the first organism. “The deliberate production of genetically identical individuals”(national academy of sciences). Two methods are used to make live born mammalian clones. Both require implantation of an embryo in a uterus and a normal growing period and birth.
The first method of cloning is called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). This procedure starts with the removal of the chromosomes from an egg to create an encapsulated egg. The chromosomes are replaced with a nucleus from a somatic cell from an individual to be cloned. The egg is then stimulated and it starts to divide creating a blastocyst. The blastocyst is then transferred to the uterus of an animal. The egg grows in the uterus and the clone is born. Its nuclear DNA has been taken from only 1 individual leading to an exact replica of the organism.
The second method of cloning is done by embryo splitting. The procedure starts with in vitro fertilization. Using a sperm and an egg to generate a zygote or an embryo. The embryo divides into four identical cells. The cells are then separated and allowed to develop into separate but identical blastocysts, which can then be transferred to a uterus. This procedure can not be repeated with the same genetics. Embryo splitting can only create two, and in rare cases, four identical offspring.
Clones do not look and behave exactly the same. They are bound to be similar and almost identical in the way they look but they will not behave the exact same. DNA is not the only determiner of behavior. Behavior is often determined by the experience the organism has during its life. Different environments and life experiences will mainly determine how the clone behaves. It is impossible to create two of the exact same clone, they will have their differences.
Reductionist viewpoint:
Human cloning is the process of collecting an individual's DNA and replicating it through a complex procedure creating an identical copy of the parent. This scientific process has been broadcasted and has been mainly rejected by the public. When the idea of cloning became a reality, ethical concerns came with it. Even though there are benefits that genetic engineering can give us there are also many other dangers and immoral actions that cloning may present.
Ethical Dilemmas:
The science of cloning brings up many ethical concerns that extend past the science world. The most prominent ethical concern that cloning presents is the potential issues with human cloning. Creating genetically identical humans raises the concern for the human races individuality, self identity, and saftey. Human clones would be very difficult to view as human, These clones would have no self identity or individuality, constantly being compared to their parent clone. Creating thoughts like, “I am no different from the clone that brought me here, I am not special, And i am expendable”. This would also endanger our societies individuality. We can not live in a world without imperfection. “There is a natural sentiment that is offended by the idea of identical babies” (nbac 1997).
What happens if you clone the wrong genetics? There could be a breeding of a surplus of people with disease in their genes. Thus creating or reintroducing a generation of disease and sickness. When the idea of cloning humans is presented to the public there is an immediate concern that scientists could be cloning the wrong genetics, genetics with violence in them, creating a “veritable army of hitlers and killers”. “The majority of concerns that cloning exposes don't usually include the potential failures of cloning technology, but rather the consequences of its success”.
When the concept of cloning was brought into reality in 1997, the NBAC issued a report stating that “at this time it is morally unacceptable to attempt to create any human cloning using somatic cell nuclear transfer”. The commission's point was based on safety. Cloning presents significant uncertainties and “unacceptable risk to the fetus and to potential life”. There is no certainty that the baby would be born without any mutilations or other biological damage. The commission also states that “there are many other serious ethical concerns that have been identified and we are sure that more will come to light”. These concerns require “much more widespread and careful public deliberation” before cloning technology can be put to use.
It is also widely understood that cloning does have benefits for many things. Cloning creates benefits for livestock breeding, and new medical engineering advancements, “including the production of pharmaceutical proteins”. Cloning also has potential to help scientists and doctors regenerate and repair damaged human tissue. There are many benefits that come with cloning, but can they be justified, and where is the ethical line drawn?
Conclusion: “It is notoriously difficult to draft legislation at any particular moment that can serve to both exploit and govern the rapid and unpredictable advances of science”(NBAC 1997). There is no way to balance the beneficial advances in cloning and the ethical concerns that follow it. The technology of human genetics engineering will continue to grow and thus raise more ethical concerns for our humanity. It is a never ending cycle that has no real solution. There are always consequences for playing god.
References edit
Works Cited: The NBAC commissions statement of 1997 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223960/ https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1501798112 https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3rx6uDgm8lYC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=ethics+of+human+cloning&ots=XwKXo-E2qc&sig=ef5cOmuQkbgvpIKTxYcCBq7z8-A#v=onepage&q=ethics%20of%20human%20cloning&f=false