Genetic+Cloning

Katelyn Shirey Mrs. Brown Biology April 26, 2012
 * Select one of the following topics. Research the topic and write a 2 page typed paper giving a summary and your opinion on the topic. a.)Cloning b.)Gene therapy c.) Human genome project d.) a genetic disease or disorder.

 Decades ago cloning probably wasn’t ever thought of. Ever since cloning has become a possibility though there have been many debates between scientists trying to decide if it is right technically, ethically, and morally. There are pros and cons to whether cloning should be attempted. The real question is does the good outweigh the bad?  The pros are really great. Medically cloning could be a miracle. Cloning organs could eliminate the need for organ donors, and save many lives. If we were able to clone a man’s heart because we knew in two years he would need a new one, it would save a lot of trouble for some people. Another big pro that I like is that cloning will eliminate infertility. If an embryo can be copied and put into someone who is incapable of having children it will eliminate this problem. Another big point to all of this is if we were capable of cloning we would learn much, much more about genetics and DNA. This is the basis of what we come from.  Enter the cons. Cloning could be very helpful, but it also leaves room for many things to go wrong. When you think of a cloned race, you certainly may think of a book called //The Giver//. In this book the society is controlled to a level where even color literally is gone. There is no diversity between people. Cloning could be an issue in genetic diversity, which is important. Another problem arises in the issue of cloning organs. It would not be cheap. In fact there is a slim to none chance of cloning ever reaching a common middle-class family. It also could lead to medical malpractice. Another thing that concerns me greatly is it will devalue man-kind. Cloning whole human-beings would not be natural, and it would mean basically taking lives into our own hands and instead of naturally creating new people, we could artificially create them. It sounds a bit like building a species of robots if you think about it.  Finally we come to my opinion. I think that cloning should only be used when needed like with organs. However I am concerned about how much time it would take and all of the trouble it would be. Think about it, if a single strand of DNA is six feet tall (when it is microscopic) how can it all be replicated? This would be a major victory in science and it would mean so much to, I think our race as a whole be able to clone something. However I also am worried about draining the gene pool. Cloning would mean lessening genetic adversity which could be devastating. I think that cloning should be kept to a minimum, and should not be a novelty thing. It should also be taken seriously, and only used for purposes that really matter, like saving lives. If I controlled it cloning would be limited to organs such as: hearts, livers, kidneys ECT. This is how I think cloning should be used.  Nobody has been able to actually clone whole people. I think it would be a really cool breakthrough if we could though, although it could create problems. Cloning could be used for many reasons, however if you were thinking of the Clone Army in //Attack of the Clones//. I do not think cloning will reach that magnitude. I do not know if it should be allowed to reach that magnitude. In the end the genetic cloning is dangerous, unless used only with the upmost care.

Information Sources: []