Human Cloning Should Not Be Regulated

For centuries, man has been genetically modifying everything from food to dogs by using a process called selective breeding. This process takes the best of what you have and makes more of it, or mixes the best of one with the best of another to see what happens. Even though this process is relatively refined, it is still subject to trial and error. Today’s cloning technology allows scientists to identify the genetic quality that they want to reproduce and insert it directly into a plant or animal, effectively eliminating the trial and error phase of selective breeding. Regulating cloning, or worse, banning it altogether, would limit the progress of scientific advancement significantly. The potential benefits for society range from increasing the viability of crops to curing the world of genetic diseases. If cloning were banned altogether, the scientific community, with these breakthroughs in their sights, would be forced to take their experiments underground to avoid political repercussions.

The opposition insists on the regulation of cloning and is suggesting a permanent ban, arguing that cloning in any way is unethical. Some take the position that scientists can not be trusted, ethically, to know when the experiments should stop, therefore, the scientific community would be unable to effectively regulate themselves. There has yet to be an organization, that all agrees upon, to enforce regulations on the scientific community in regards to this issue. Another fear of the opposition, is that government funding and/or funding from the private sector would determine which research would move forward according to its profitability factor, putting the wants and needs of society secondary to monetary gain...

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...ases currently known to man. The scientific community has brought us this far, modern technology has already done wonders for society as a whole. We have no reason to believe that they can’t or won’t live up to our expectations in regards to this cloning issue.

Works Cited

"Cloning plants." Farm Industry News. 15 Feb.1999. 20 May 2003.

"Human Cloning and Human Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry." The President's Council on Bioethics, Washington, D.C. July

2002. 19 May 2003.

"Stem Cell Research: Medical Progress with Responsibility." Chief Medical Officer’s Expert Group on Therapeutic Cloning,

Department of Health. 16 August 2000. 10 May 2003.