The Moral Implications of Cloning

Outside the lab where the cloning had actually taken place, most of us thought it could never happen. Oh we would say that perhaps at some point in the distant future, cloning might become feasible through the use of sophisticated biotechnologies far beyond those available to us now. But what we really believed, deep in our hearts, was that this one biological feat we could never master. Dr. Lee M. Silver, 1997. On February 23, 1997, Doctor Ian Wilmut successfully cloned the world's first mammal, giving the world a harsh wake-up call to the state of its technology. The implications of an effective somatic cell nuclear transfer in mammals are tremendous. The use of cloning for research purposes could yield fixes for aging and heart problems; new organs for patients in need of transplants; increased reliability of plastic, reconstructive, and cosmetic surgery; the extinction of Down's syndrome and Tay-Sachs disease; and the cure for cancer (Human). The applications of the research of cell development are already witnessed in the invention of fabricated skin, cartilage, bone, and ligament and tendons. In fact, cloning is only a result of many years of research. In 1965, Dr. Marshall R. Urist of the University of California discovered that powdered bone, when combined with the isolated bone morphogenetic proteins and DNA sequences, would create new bone when placed in a bone fracture ("Tissue", 47). However, fears of this new procedure are certainly well justified. A cloned child for instance, would lose all sense of individuality, and the potential harm (which first must be downsized to an acceptable degree before full production could commence), at this point, greatly outweighs the beneficial yields (United, 66, 65). Plus, given the option to choose features in a prospective clone child, or "designer child", procreating would be more feasibly compared with car shopping than reproduction (Silver, 277). These factors contribute to the controversial

Cited: Page "Cloning". Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th edition, volume 3. Chicago, IL. 1997. Human Cloning Foundation. "The Benefits of Human Cloning". "http://www.humancloning.org/benefits.htm). 1998. "Ian Wilmut, Dolly 's Creator, on the Ethics of Cloning". The American Enterprise. September/October 1998: 57-58. WilsonSelect. FirstSearch. Lake-Sumter Community College Lib., Lessburg, FL. 05 Nov 1999 (http://www.ccla.lib.fl.us/firstsearch). Silver, Lee M. Remarking Eden: Cloning and Beyond in a Brave New World. Avon Books. New York, NY. 1997. "Tissues Creation". Scientific American. Scientific American, Inc. Pages 54-55. New York, NY. 1999. United States. National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Cloning Human Beings: Report and Recommendation of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Washington: GPO, 1997.