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"Pros and Cons of Human Cloning"

· Biological Aspect · Social Aspect · Ethical Aspect ·

Biological Aspect

Pros:

  • No danger of complete similarity of clones (K. Smith)
  • Better control of some genetic illnesses (Max Stackhouse)
  • heal diseases and illnesses
  • eliminate predisposition to drugs
  • drugs can be produced much cheaper, because animals like cows could produce them in their milk
  • bone marrow and organs can be cloned
  • cloning can preserve endangered species (all the reasons...)
  • one day scientists might be able to reverse the aging process (Dr. Richard Seed)
  • humans are able to reproduce healthy new cop-ies of endangered species
  • horticulture does already exist for years
  • cloning helps to avoid the extinction of many species

Cons:

  • Biotech industry needs to exercise extreme caution, because cloning of entire animals came so unexpected (Don Drakeman)
  • Risk of high disease rates among cloned ani-mals and a possible reduction in biodiversity (variety of animals) (Greg Merrit)
  • Concerning Dolly the sheep: the age-related degradation of certain chromosomes (difference between genetic age and chronological age, Max Stackhouse)
  • there are two sexes, to keep our population alive, if we would clone humans, there would be no more need for men
  • genetic differences allow us to exploit alternate behaviours and expand into various environ-mental niches in order to survive

Social Aspect

Pros:

  • Human cloning won't be so popular (one per-cent of the population decides to clone itself) (K. Smith)
  • people who's lives have been destroyed by an accident or by a disability can have their DNA continued, so their clone can lead the life that was meant to be theirs (all the reasons...)
  • you can choose parents for your clone so they don't have bad parents like you had (all the rea-sons...)
  • you can support the parents of your clone with money so they don't struggle like most young couples do (all the reasons...)
  • is an incredible discovery and whoever it does first will go down in history
  • cloning will save many people' life who are waiting desperately for organ donors
  • cloning can change the world for infertile peo-ple almost over night (all the reasons...)

Cons:

  • The potential represented by cloning does not automatically outweighs the risk of unseen con-sequences (Paul Schmitt)
  • Comparable to the atomic research: cloning can create great energy and promise, but also dam-age (Max Stackhouse)
  • probably only rich people can use the advan-tages of cloning
  • overpopulation
  • people who want to clone themselves are "overwhelming self-centered" (Father Richard McCormick)
  • Is mankind mature enough to wield this awe-some power?
  • without terminal sicknesses and diseases the world would be greatly overpopulated
  • there are enough people in this world without "making" more
  • would cause mass hysteria with doubles and triples of everyone

Ethical Aspect

Pros:

  • cloning is a step towards a "fountain of youth" and immortality (all the reasons...)
  • the Raelian Religion and the Summum Religion believe in cloning as one of their tenets, so for their religious freedom cloning should be al-lowed (all the reasons...)

Cons:

  • Humans have control over the totality of their own destiny (Max Stackhouse)
  • There is the danger of people playing God (Max Stackhouse)
  • mankind is another step closer to wielding the powers of God
  • some problems with religious questions and ideas (for example the definition of Karma) could come up
  • we only clone the human body, not the spirit which comes from God