Reproductive and Therapeutic Cloning

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Reproductive and Therapeutic Cloning

New areas of science often raise questions about safety. Reflecting back on the past medical technologies invented, people have always opposed it but often benefit from it later on in life. The use of in-vitro fertilization, for instance, was once a controversial issue. Some people worried that society could discriminate against humans produced as a result of IVF and humans could spread diseases. Furthermore, its usefulness cannot be predicted because it is just a research tool, and so on. Today, those worries and concerns have not manifested, but instead have brought joy and happiness to families. The people born through IVF process are as happy and equal as any other average child. It is the same with cloning technology. Upon all that we have gained from past medical technology, a majority of people have failed to see that new medical breakthrough will become as beneficial as the past ones if it is allowed to be researched.

Cloning is a controversial issue because it is a new area of science and people are once again worried that, this technology will become a dangerous weapon to the society. Cloning is the creating of a genetically identical copy of an original plant or animal by using biological materials such as DNA segment (e.g. a gene or other region). According to Wilmut,

The copies produced through cloning have identical genetic makeup and are known as clones. Many organisms in nature reproduce by cloning (asexually). Scientists use cloning techniques in the laboratory to create copies of cells or organisms with value traits. Their work aims to find practical applications for cloning that will produce advances in medicine, biological research, and industry....

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...ld pass a similar law and allow at least research, if not experimentation.

Anxieties people have about cloning are similar to concerns about past medical technologies. This is also true about technologies in general, for instance people questioned the importance and abilities of computers, etc. Some new areas of science in the past brought up apprehensions, these technologies turned out to be beneficial to mankind. Cloning technology is now a new area of science and people are concerned about the safety and morals behind it. This system could become as stable as past medical technologies only if research is allowed. If laws are pass (with some restrictions) it could ensure that research is carried out without interfering with the principles of nature, ensures that everyone has equal access to the technology, and also used in serious cases not for pleasure.

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