An informative review paper informs the public about a certain issue by showing to them both sides of the argument and supporting both of them with evidence and facts without taking a position directly. This informative review paper consist of informing the public about cloning in specific therapeutic and reproductive cloning.

Could Therapeutic and Reproductive Cloning be Ways to Improve Our Quality of Life?

Or it Just a Way to Destroy It?  

 Lisbeth Sosa

 

There has been a controversy over doctors using aborted babies for the harvesting of organs. People are starting to talk about this inhuman and cruel practice and want this act to be stopped, but what if there was a more human/safer  there was a more human/safer process of cloning?

Therapeutic and reproductive cloning are the most famous types of cloning and the ones most discussed by people. Therapeutic cloning is a process that use cloning to create embryonic stem cell, tissues, as well as whole orgarms for the purpose of transplantation.1 In other words, it is a type of cloning that is used for medical purposes. Reproductive cloning is the type of cloning that would create a human genetically identical to its donor of DNA.1

Therapeutic cloning would help stop the use of aborted babies for the harvesting of organs. However, despite all its benefits to improve human life, it is seen by most as immoral.

One of the ethical issues with therapeutic cloning is that many oppose the harvesting of the nucleus from embryos in their blastocyst stage regardless of whether donors offered to donate the eggs or scientists find a way to fabricate them for research purposes.2 In other words, the public is arguing that it is wrong to remove the nucleus of a fertilized egg because scientist are ending the life of the embryo. Many people consider an embryo to be a human, therefore, they think is unethical to kill a human to save another. However, some people do not share the same belief.

On the other hand, people who are in favor of therapeutic cloning have argued that there are lots of people in the need of an organ transplant all around the world, and this process would not only allow people to get a transplant more quickly but it would also cost less.4 However, opponents have stated that “mutations can occur spontaneously… These mutations have caused embryos to not divide as expected. Some have even created the threat of tumors when used with a patient.”4 In other words, patients who undergo a transplant through therapeutic cloning have risk of developing cell mutation, which can lead to bigger health problems, or even worse death. Hence, this process would eliminate one problem but create another.

But what does reproductive cloning have to do with the harvesting of organs? Well, is it not also cruel that couples cannot have a child because they were born infertile? Despite the good outcomes that reproductive cloning might offer to humans, many people have opposed this idea for a variety of reasons. People who opposed human cloning have argued that, the cloning of a humans would create a loss of individuality and uniqueness among the  population. But despite this idea, studies have shown that “twins who have identical DNA does not prevent them from possessing individuality and freedom of expression.”3 Therefore, if twins who are physically and genetically identical can develop uniqueness why can’t clones with the same traits? Also, many other studies have shown that identical DNA is not the only factor that can determine the uniqueness of a person/clone, “identity, individuality, personality development and all the characteristic that would make a person unique are the result of the interaction between genetics and the environment.”3 In other words, genetics alone cannot determine the uniqueness of an individual. The qualities of the clone or person, but also the type of environment in which they grow up would play an important role in determining their uniqueness or lack of it.

Debating the implications that creating a clone might have does not really help us determine whether clones would really feel different or would be treated differently by others because reproductive cloning has not been performed yet, in humans. Dolly the Sheep was the first healthy cloned mammal created through fission and somatic cell nuclear transfer, “SCNT is a technique in which the nucleus of a somatic cell is transferred to the cytoplasm of an enucleated egg.”5 Sadly, Dolly died of progressive lung disease when she was 6 years old but it had nothing to do with the fact that she was a cloned.6 Therefore, if Dolly who was created through reproductive cloning was able to live and die like any other animal, why should not a human clone created through reproductive cloning have the same experience? But regardless of the fear that cloning might turn out well for humans, opponents of reproductive cloning say that it is  “an inefficient and unsafe procedure.”1 and that scientists “are trying to play the role of God.”6 and that these ideas of cloning would not only create conflicts and debates among the public but it would also create a slippery slope.

To conclude, cloning is a controversial topic among the public, but regardless of the positive outcomes that therapeutic and reproductive cloning can offer to humans(that could in a way open a new door to the future) people seem to be more scared of the negatives outcomes that cloning might have. Cloning might be a frightening topic for some but whether a person opposed cloning or not they should open their mind and keep themselves informed. Remember, Dolly the Sheep was introduced to the world after she was born. What makes us think that there are not any cloned humans around us acting like normal people, or trapped in some laboratory for research purposes?

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1-Savulescu, J. (2005). The ethics of cloning. The Medicine Publishing Company. Opposing  Viewpoints in Contex.

2-Lisker, R. (2003, November/December). Ethical and legal issues in therapeutic cloning and the study of stem cells. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubm ed/14734101

3-Morales, N.M. (2009). Psychological aspects of human cloning and genetic manipulation: the identity and uniqueness of human beings. Reproductive BioMedicine. Opossing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context

.4-13 Therapeutic Cloning Pros and Cons. (2018, February 20). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from   https://vittana.org/13-therapeutic-cloning-pros-and-con

5-Stocum, D. (2016, November 16). Somatic cell nuclear transfer. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/science/somatic-cell-nuclear-transfer

6- The Story of Dolly the Cloned Sheep (2013, October 14).| Retro Report | The New York Times.   Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tELZEPcgKkE