The Future of Cloning
Among the vast amount of controversies in the world today, the "birth" of Dolly, the sheep, gave rise to one that was able to shake the very principles of human existence and human interaction. As the idea of human cloning bravely steps out to the horizon, facing us in the most blunt way, it forces us to challenge issues, once so dear and so integral to our society. Issues of identity, individuality, and uniqueness are now, for the first time, questioned as never before. Even our conceptions of what is/was right and what is/was wrong are now re-called to be looked over and to be double-checked. The ideas of cloning animals and humans are, in fact, extremely controversial in their origin and in the effects the two will bring upon humanity. The articles, "Study Cloning, Don't Ban It," by Daniel J. Kevles, and, "Hello Dolly," by Ellen Goodman, are just one example of the arguments that are constantly postulated before the human population.
In the two articles the opinionated authors discuss the prospective issues of animal and human cloning using their mostly different, but sometimes similar, basis on the subject matter. In their arguments, the very first and the very obvious difference between opinions of Daniel Kevles and Ellen Goodman is the issue of cloning sheep and animals in general. It is clear that Kevles is extremely optimistic about and very supportive of animal cloning. He has a lot of confidence and quite a bit of expectations, and dreams, if you will, in the advantages and the benefits that animal cloning has yet to give humanity. Kevles states that, with cloning, our possibilities and "fantasies are endless" (133). After all, Dolly's birth only "marks a milestone in our ability to en...
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...y grow up to have the same personality, character, and achievements as the "clonee" had. "Today as Einstein clone might grow up to be Steven Spielberg," says Kevles (133). Goodman states that with "everything being relative", today a clone of our favorite genius, Albert Einstein, could very well grow up to "find modern physics dull" (135).
From the above discussion of the two articles, we can see the kind of controversy humanity has to deal with today. There are many people who follow Kevles footsteps in arguing that cloning of animals and humans could be very beneficial in the future. However, there are as many people that follow Ellen Goodman, opposing Kevles' opinion, and finding little good in the "Valley of the Dollys" (135). Today, even at this stage of our scientific advances, we can only wonder as to what will really happen as the future unfolds.
.... Until a successful attempt of creating life emerges in upcoming history, the possibility of cloning may never reveal its truth. Matters of opinion judge the positive and negative outcomes of artificial animal reproduction, and numerous instances prove its everlasting positive outlook for world community, science, and theology.
The concept of cloning has been around since the 1800’s, although, in the field of scientists, it has slowly been evolving into a vigorously debated topic, throughout the last 3 decades. Cloning is essentially defined as the process of artificially reproducing genetically identical organisms. Scientists all around the world, through research, are still learning more about the topic, but the fascinating process officially gained awareness as a result of a 1986 experiment conducted by Ian Wilmut, scientist at the Roslin Institute in Scotland. The project was essentially centred around a sheep referred to as “Dolly” that was cloned in a lab using a frozen mammary cell from another adult sheep. At the time, this was a significant milestone in the field, as all cloning up to this point had been done using embryos, and never actual adult cells. The Dolly experiment served as a catalyst for additional intensive research, which consequently resulted in a myriad of new benefits and uses for cloning. From that point on, we have made many advancements, and currently, in our modern day society, scientists are more capable of putting their research into practice, with the assistance of the constant improvements in technology. The method of cloning has already been implemented as a solution to infertility, and plants and animals can be cloned for the purpose of creating new possible food alternatives. The main benefit of cloning revolves around health, as lives can be saved or prolonged, thanks to a theoretically simple process known as organ transplantation, where for example, the parts from a cloned pig can be used to replace those malfunctioning, in a human. If scientists keep doing research on the topic at the current rate, and conducting e...
Since the birth of Dolly, the cloned sheep, the debate over human cloning has been characterized in the media as an ethical debate. When scientists announced that they had cloned an adult sheep, the public also heard that cloning humans was possible. The media stories about this unprecedented feat was not about the procedures utilized in but rather about the morality of the process itself. Media coverage focused on ethical concerns of cloning, its social, religious and physiological significance, and the motivation behind it. Although the there are many views expressed in the media on cloning, the main characterization of cloning as an ethical issue centers around two connected worries: the loss of individuality, and the seemingly evil motivations behind cloning. In a sense media coverage framed the public moral debate on cloning around the above issues.
To start, it is important to understand what cloning is and the process that makes it possible. As defined by Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, cloning is “one that appears to be a copy of an original form” (233). In layman’s terms, human cloning is using medical procedures to make an exact genetic copy of an already existing or previously existing person. The process for cloning entails a method called Somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT. According to The University of Utah’s Genetic Science Learning Center the way SCNT is performed is “an egg cell's single set of chromosomes is removed. It is replaced by the nucleus from a somatic cell, which already contains two complete sets of chromosomes” (Genetic). Now that the egg has a complete DNA configuration, it is allowed to grow and the being that is engendered is a clone. Though the original human and the clone will have the same genome, they will not be exactly the same person. As Wray Herbert points out, there will be differences in personality an...
Cloning Einstein will not be the same Albert Einstein. The new version of Einstein might turn out to hate mathematics.
Cloning, a topic that has recently caused mayhem all over the world, is possible, but will it be here to stay? The astonishing news that scientists had cloned a sheep a couple of years ago sent people into panic at the thought that humans might be next. "Cloning is a radical challenge to the most fundamental laws of biology, so it's not unreasonable to be concerned that it might threaten human society and dignity" (Macklin 64). Since most of the opposition is coming from the pure disgust of actually being able to clone species, it makes it difficult for people to get away from the emotional side of the issue and analyze the major implications cloning would have for society. To better understand this controversial issue, the pros and cons of cloning will be discussed.
In 1997 Dr. Ian Wilmut, a British scientist successfully cloned a sheep named Dolly. This turned the scientific world upside-down. The success of the experiment is considered by all as an amazing achievement in science. However, ethics and morals must surface to regulate cloning. It is understood that individuality is the most important part of life. Individuality is given to a person at birth and considered a right they will have for rest of their life. There is also a fear that the clone may only be produced to live the life of the clone, thus causing severe emotional damage as well pain and suffering for the clone. The progression of the clone may be limited, the advance in idea development will slowly die off. Evolution could come to a halt, because with clones, diversity will be limited and there will not be as many advances in society. The cells, in all humans, will all be the same and there will not be a process of natural selection and diversity.
When they finally made cloning happen, after years of ethical hand wringing and science-fiction fantasy, it was done in such a low key way by researchers so quiet and self-effacing that the world nearly missed it. Once it was out, the news that human embryos had been cloned, flew around the world with the speed of sound bouncing off of satellites. Critics decried the commercialization of fertility technology. Scientists steeled themselves against a backlash they feared would obstruct a promising field of research. One way to look at the future of cloning is to look at the livestock industry. More than a decade has passed since the first calves, lambs and piglets were cloned and yet there were no dairy herds composed of carbon copy cows, no pigpens filled with identical
When the news first came out in 1996, Dolly the sheep was a global phenomenon. After 277 attempts, she was the first mammal cloned from an udder cell taken from an adult sheep (Lerner 2014). The success of this experiment paved the way into the world of animal cloning for many researchers and scientists to search for multiple uses that cloning could provide. However, cloning also comes with complications and obstacles to overcome. The many methods, benefits, and successes of animal cloning have proved that this could someday become a norm in the world, but, by looking at some of the problems with cloning, it could also be an idea that could never make the big leagues.
In the article that I chose there are two opposing viewpoints on the issue of “Should Human Cloning Ever Be Permitted?” John A. Robertson is an attorney who argues that there are many potential benefits of cloning and that a ban on privately funded cloning research is unjustified and that this type of research should only be regulated. On the flip side of this issue Attorney and medical ethicist George J. Annas argues that cloning devalues people by depriving them of their uniqueness and that a ban should be implemented upon it. Both express valid points and I will critique the articles to better understand their points.
In recent years our world has undergone many changes and advancements, cloning is a primary example of this new modernism. On July 5th, 1995, Dolly, the first cloned animal, was created. She was cloned from a six-year-old sheep, making her cells genetically six years old at her creation. However, scientists were amazed to see Dolly live for another six years, until she died early 2005 from a common lung disease found in sheep. This discovery sparked a curiosity for cloning all over the world, however, mankind must answer a question, should cloning be allowed? To answer this question some issues need to be explored. Is cloning morally correct, is it a reliable way to produce life, and should human experimentation be allowed?
Following the successful cloning of a lamb to produce Dolly, a genetically identical twin of its mother lamb, controversy has arose over the frightening prospects of cloning technology. Although undeniable that the ability to clone livestock and even humans is a leap in medical advancement, such technology must be utilized with careful considerations to the issue of ethics.
Advances in technology and science have created the impossible outcomes onto possibilities no one has done or seen before. Thanks to modern day science and technology, the possibility of cloning humans can soon become a reality. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of a clone is a cell product that is genetically identical to the unit or individual form which it was derived. Cloning has been discovered recently in today’s science research with the popularity of the first successful cloning mammal in 1996, the cloning of Dolly the Sheep. With Dolly being a success and other mammals such as pigs and dogs have been successfully cloned throughout the years, there are now debates whether or not cloning should be done on humans. Many people are in support of the idea of cloning humans because it can be a tool to bring back a significant other back into this world, however, according to scientist there is
Advancing technology continues to divide society on moral issues. The general public’s opinion on cloning began to split when Kyeonghee University in Korea successfully cloned a human on December 14, 1998 ("Ethical"). Many people believe that the benefits of cloning outweigh the negatives. These benefits come in the form of medical advances like, the use of cloned human embryos in research into genetics and genetically related diseases, and their treatments or preventions ("Ethical"). However, continuing research into cloning will only divide society and begin an uproarious argument involving ethics.
In recent years, many new breakthroughs in the areas of science and technology have been discovered. A lot of these discoveries have been beneficial to scientific community and to the people of the world. One of the newest breakthroughs is the ability to clone. Ever since Ian Wilmut and his co-workers completed the successful cloning of an adult sheep named Dolly, there has been an ongoing debate on whether it is right or wrong to continue the research of cloning (Burley). Recently, in February 2001, CNN conducted a poll that stated, 90% of American adults think that cloning humans is a bad idea (Robinson). Even though the majority of Americans are opposed to human cloning, there are many benefits that will come from the research of it. Advancements in the medical field and in the fertility process will arise from human cloning. These advancements make cloning very beneficial to the human society.