Cloning has been one of the most controversial topics around the world. It has caused quite a stir particularly among religious sectors. This is because opponents who feel that genetic cloning is morally wrong believe that the scientists behind this advancement are playing gods. Meanwhile, proponents of genetic manipulation believe that it could be the answer to many medical mysteries. If you are on the fence about genetic cloning, it helps to know its pros and cons. That way, you can determine whether you are for it or against it.
List of Pros of Genetic Cloning
1. It can save lives.
Cloning is believed by many to be the answer people with failing organs have been waiting for. Patients with weak hearts, damaged kidneys or other failing vital organs will no longer have to wait for donors, thus saving more people. And because your own organs will be cloned, minus the faulty parts, there is a higher chance of success upon transplant.
2. It can help in genetic research.
The ongoing quest to decipher genetic composition can benefit the most from cloning. Once the cloning technology has advanced, it will help researchers better understand genes as well as the effects of genetic constituents on our traits. When that happens, it is highly likely that this advancement in science will help combat genetic illnesses.
3. It can be useful in obtaining desired traits in different organisms.
Genetic manipulation can customize organisms to suit the purposes of a particular research. In other words, scientists and researchers can replicate cells that are necessary for a research without sacrificing humans or animals for testing.
4. It could lower healing and recovery times.
When a patient who suffered from a traumatic injury has his or her cells cloned, it will be easier and faster to recover from such injury. Plus, there is little to no chance of complications because their own cells are used to repair any broken or damage body part.
List of Cons of Genetic Cloning
1. It can foster a wrong notion about having children.
If children are cloned, it can encourage people to believe that they can have kids designed according to their wishes. So, if the cloned humans do not live up to their expectations, they could be neglected or rejected.
Cloned children could live in the shadow of the genetic donor. This means that if a child has been cloned from a deceased person, they could live their life being compared to the other individual.
2. It could increase the number of people with undesirable traits, too.
While manipulating the cells of a human can lead to replicating good genes, it could also be used to reproduce undesirable traits. This puts the human population in danger because some might deliberately or carelessly clone people, or even animals, with bad genes, which could equate to having more diseases, both physically and mentally.
3. It will reduce diversity.
Creating identical genes could mean a lack of diversity among humans. Scientists believe that this could result in human’s inability to adapt. It could also mean making everyone on earth looking the same. Plus, humans with the same DNA could produce children with defects due to bad breeding.
4. It could lead to security breach.
Since people can leave cells anywhere, it could be used by unscrupulous individuals for the wrong purposes. Clones of terrorists, serial killers and other criminals could be made to carry out evildoings.
As you can see, there are certain things that need to be corrected or worked out before cloning is fully developed. By weighing out all the pros and cons, people can find a middle ground to make genetic manipulation a truly beneficial discovery.