When there is a lot to do and very little time to do it, you would reach a point where you wish there were two or three more of you. Nothing like having plenty of hands to help you out, right? If only human cloning is as accessible as your favorite drink in a local convenience store. Unfortunately, this is not the case and it may even be unethical, which brings us to the big question: is it ok to clone a human being?
Human cloning is a process where an exact copy of a person is created, genetically, that is. While some would think it is similar to delivery of identical twins, cloning only reproduces human cells and tissue, and making an entire cloned human has yet to be done. There are two types of theoretical human cloning that are commonly discussed. Therapeutic cloning is where cells from a human are cloned for transplant or medicine purposes. Reproductive cloning, on the other hand, is what you would normally see in sci-fi movies. If the films were to be believed, a person’s clone could turn out to be a person’s dark side.
It was in January 2001, when word about human cloning surfaced. The plan to clone a human was led by Panayiotis Zavos, a former professor in the University of Kentucky, and Severino Antinori, an Italian researcher. Many attempts were made since then, but there are no documented and confirmed human cloning to date.
The process of human cloning is as sci-fi as the idea behind it. It starts with an egg from a human donor, where it goes through several stages — nucleus is removed, cell from a person to be cloned is removed, enucleated egg and cell is fused with electricity, embryo is implanted into surrogate mother, and surrogate mother delivers cloned baby. If you think about it, human cloning is similar to IVF, except for the first few stages.
Proponents of human cloning see the value that it will bring, but opponents think some people just want to play god. Clearly, there is something to be discussed about this topic, but it is almost impossible to try to determine if human cloning is good or bad. The pros and cons have to be weighed in.
List of Pros of Human Cloning
1. Opens doors of innovation.
Since the idea of human cloning came out, cloning techniques have been continuously developed, taking basic understanding of developmental human biology to many different levels. Somatic cell nuclear transfer, for instance, allows production of cells that can be used in stem cell therapy or regenerative medicine, where organs for transplant can be created rather than harvested from a donor. If cloning is perfected, there’s little doubt that it will bring about a huge change. It will not only revive animal and plant population, but also offer potential benefits to humans.
2. Has the potential to eliminate defective genes.
Cloning enables reproduction of healthy human cells that will prove beneficial when genetic illnesses come out in full force. Such health problems may not be present now, but it could be in the near future. Staying one or two steps ahead, definitely gives humans an edge.
To date, cloning techniques provide great insights into the development of human embryos, showing scientist answers as to why diseases and defects happen during the developmental stage. Along with genetic manipulation, there is a huge potential that scientist will find ways to keep such diseases and defects from happening.
3. Gives genetic modification (GM) a new meaning.
Genetic engineering or GM uses biotechnology to directly manipulate the genome of an organism, enabling a scientist to change the genetic makeup of a cell, removing the bad ones and retaining the good ones. This technology has been used in growing genetically modified crops that are said to be bigger and way better than conventionally grown crops in many ways. Imagine if GM is combined with human cloning. This would be like a scene from an old movie entitled Gattaca, where parents can choose specific traits, such as eye color and sex, for their future child. Any defects and diseases that are detected earlier will also be removed, ensuring that the child will only inherit the best traits and the best genes.
4. Potentially hastens recovery from traumatic injury.
A devastating automobile accident or other forms of injury can render a person unable to walk or would take a long time to recover. If his healthy cells will be cloned, however, there is a huge possibility that recovery times will be cut down and true healing can occur. If reproductive cloning is perfected, a quadriplegic can also choose to have himself cloned, so someone can take his place. This may seem like an unethical and weird concept, but it has merits, especially for the patient involved.
5. Allows infertile couples to have children.
Infertility problems are no longer as bad as it was in the past, what with all the treatments and technologies available. Some treatments, however, are emotionally and physically draining, not to mention very expensive. So imagine if a younger copy of the mother or father is created through cloning? It may not be cheap, but an infertile couple can experience the joys of having a family without going through the inconvenience of infertility procedures. Reproductive cloning has the potential to replace sperm donation, IVF or surrogacy.
6. Diseases and disorders can be cured.
The fact that stem cell therapy was made possible because of cloning techniques speaks volumes of the potential of the technology to cure a wide range of diseases. Bone marrow transplantation may be the only form of stem cell therapy used to date, but it won’t be long before this type of treatment can be used to cure diabetes, spinal cord injury, or heart disease. Continuous research into regenerative medicine also has the potential to extend the number of disorders that can be cured. A person with liver disease, for example, could have a new liver grown using the same genetic material, which will then be transplanted to replace the damaged liver.
Remember the study on developmental defects and diseases provided by cloning research? This also has the potential to alter the way health problems are treated.
List of Cons of Human Cloning
1. Ethics and human cloning.
Ethical positions regarding cloning in general is causing problems in the research development. In the United States, strategic roadblocks have been established to keep human cloning shelved for as long as it is possible. The government doesn’t fund research, and the FDA regulates research on public cloning. Anyone wants to clone a human must first acquire permission. Countries with strict standards have legally banned research on reproductive human cloning, but give leeway to therapeutic cloning. This effectively deters the pursuit for human cloning.
Opponents also point out that cloning promotes euthanasia, since clones of defective animals have to be put down, an act that is morally unacceptable. Because clone cells may show genetic abnormalities, using them on humans will also have a deadly implication.
2. Has certain failures.
According to some scientists, the cloning technology used today is not yet ready to be tested on humans, which makes reproductive cloning a very risky endeavor. In fact, nearly 98% of efforts in cloning failed. Embryos are either not suitable for implantation, while some die shortly after birth. Those that survive will have genetic abnormalities, one of which is rapid aging. This is because cloning usually use older cells, increasing the possibility that the current age of the cell will be imprinted on the growing embryo which can lead to premature aging and death.
One of the methods used in cloning, induced pluripotent stem cells, has severe limitations. The technique is used to reprogram adult cells. However, if a virus is used as a reprogramming factor, it may activate oncogenes, which are cancer-causing genes. Once activated, the cancer cells will divide rapidly and will not respond to the natural cell signaling process of a human body.
It is also possible that some clones will be born with defective hearts, malfunctioning immune system and a host of other diseases.
3. Reduces a sense of individuality.
Having a clone may be beneficial at one point, but if there is more of you, potential loss of individuality is highly likely. After all, you not only have a twin but an exact replica of you. Sure, your clone will have unique preferences, but there is no denying that it came from your own cells.
4. Potentially turns humans into a commodity.
What are the odds that a parent who doesn’t like the child they have will just go ahead and have another one cloned — one that has better traits, less sickly and more perfect? If disposal of defective clones will be as easy as creating human copies, having clones made will be similar to buying stuff at the supermarket. Say clones with genetic problems are allowed to survive and thrive. It is possible that societal division will be created and it will be severe racism all over again.
To clone or not to clone? That is the question. Even if technology still doesn’t allow reproductive cloning, it is best to understand its pros and cons, so you can decide better which side to choose.