Human Cloning

Human Cloning

Human cloning is one of the most talked about issues of today. This topic brews much controversy from believers and non-believers. Creating a cell is the process of cloning, as well as creating a tissue line or a complete organism from a single cell. In 1903 cloning was introduced, by cloning plants. By 1997 the first mammal was cloned, as sheep named Dolly, by a Scotland embryologist. Soon after that in the United States a couple of monkeys were cloned as well. There are some advantages to human cloning, but there are also a lot of disadvantages as well. True with cloning you can do human research to help bring about cures for these seemingly incureable diseases, but if you clone then that means you are dealing with a 100% human being. Where is the ethics in that? Human cloning is believed by some to be the answer for cures of most diseases in the future. Whereas others believe that cloning is "playing GOD".

The first of the two articles Human Cloning: When word games kill, touches on three central issues pertaining to the cloning debates. First is the scientific question: Would the clone be an actual human being? This question should only be answered by human embryologists. They have the knowledge of being able to say exactly when during the process that the clone would be in existence physically. This question would be the base for all other questions pertaining to this issue. If you compare normal reproduction to cloning then you can achieve a better understanding of the whole process. Second is the philosophical question of "personhood". This question deals with the pre-embryo term and that when used it states that the clone is not yet a human being. So when does a human person begin? It has been said that something is considered a human when it is able to use "rational attributes". For example: having self-consciousness, being able to make choice, and relating to its surroundings. Finally the third issue, What are the legal questions concerning possible bans on cloning? Most believe that cloning is unethical, and very harmful to the human embryo. Already human cloning is banned from the use of federal funding. Being that when a human clone is produced it is merely for the purpose of attaining someone else's goal, and since it states that human clones are infact human then that makes the cloning process unethical.

In the second scientific article: Ban Human Cloning: Problems with the Clone-and-Kill Option, it speaks about the proposal of the cloning ban. It is defined in ten different definitions on the critique of the proposal. One - Protection of the clone-and-kill option. Two - Ban implantation not cloning. Three - In effect a two step approval for adult human cloning. Four - The arguments against implantation of a human embryo. Five - The implantation ban would be unenforceable.