Informative Essay on Human Cloning

Cloning is a term that is familiar in the subject of Biology that describes some various steps and processes that are used to produce a biological entity that has genetically identical copies. A clone, therefore, refers to the copied material that has the same genetic make-up as the original one. Cloning has been in the works for years, and scientists and researchers are still dedicating more time and resources towards establishing its reality. For centuries cloning to many people has sounded like a dream until when the first successful clone of the sheep named Dolly happened in the year 1996. Over the years cloning has advanced due to the improvement in technology and has even seen human cloning come in handy. Human cloning as it is has raised a lot of ethical questions about cloning and until today is one of the most controversial subjects in the world. Currently, there is an extensive research going on in the field of human cloning to clone human embryos with a lot of difficulties experienced.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Previous research that has been conducted has proved that cloning humans are one of the difficult experiments as compared to cloning other mammals. For instance, there were some cases that scientist from South Korea claimed to have cloned human embryos in 1998 ("Cloning Fact Sheet"). However, they later confirmed that there was a lot of interruption to the experiment at a very early stage of around four cells. Several other subsequent experiments towards cloning human embryos have not been successful. One of the issues that have been associated with the difficulty in the human cloning is the loss of the spindle proteins. The two spindle proteins are essential in the cell division process. In some primates and mammals, these proteins close proximity to the chromosomes in the eggs. Removing the nucleus of the egg to create room for donor nucleus that is to be cloned removes the spindle proteins. Ones these spindle proteins are removed, the cell division process substantially interferes. Another problem associated with the difficult in experiments attempting to clone human embryos is the effect that the method used. Typically, ultraviolet rays are used to remove the nucleus of the egg which sometimes damages the cell preventing it from growing (Maimets, Toivo and Kristi, Louk).

Human cloning technology exists in most developed countries. One particular thing that is hindering people from moving towards its accomplished is the moral debate it brings in addition to the difficulties. There is an ethical debate that has come up regarding the steps by some researchers efforts to clone human beings. Cloning an entire person generates the most controversy among people in the world. Some people greatly advocate cloning of human beings. The reason for them supporting this process is an issue of preventing and removing genetic faults in peoples genome. Some support it because they want someone who is identical to them live forever (Greeney, John). Other people, the issue of infertility in families has been a headache and has seen many divorce cases coming up. People believe that human cloning can be a real solution to infertile couples as they can be able to get their image live on through cloning. However, most people believe that it is not right to clone an entire person. They view the act of cloning as a creating a new human being that resembles someone else. According to them, creation is only supposed to be done by God hence cloning of human beings is highly unethical. Having a clone that is genetically and phenotypically identical to someone will deprive people the likeness and the uniqueness that God created gave people. A final argument under the debate of unethical is that the cloned individual is given a genome that has already lived and their performance can be comparable which to some extent of judging the donor and the clone respectively (Wesam, Safory).

Looking at both arguments of those advocating cloning and the others who oppose, cloning needs to be regulated to prevent a scientist from going past the standard boundary of life. Different policies are being formulated all over the world to explain the moral, ethical and legal issues of human cloning that will keep those scientists carrying out research in this area to remain in line by acting within the required guidelines of the law. Without regulation, there might be some of the scientists that might use their knowledge and findings to create clones that might benefit them and not be in good faith of the people at all. Some funding from private organizations also might determine which cause the research should take depending on the profitability of the experiment. It, therefore, calls in for regulation by the governments to try and contain the research and its findings within the legal and ethical perspective of the people. With advancement in technology, human cloning needs to be regulated so that the benefits that are received from the initiative are more than the problems associated with it. It is proper for scientists to adhere to their work ethics and work within the confines of the law regulating human cloning.

Work Cited

"Cloning Fact Sheet". National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), 2017, https://www.genome.gov/25020028/cloning-fact-sheet/.

Greeney, John. "John - In Support Of The Argumen For Human Cloning". Humancloning.Org, 2017, http://www.humancloning.org/john.htm.

Maimets, Toivo, and Kristi Louk. "Human Cloning." Handbook of Global Bioethics. Springer Netherlands, 2014. 699-718.

Wesam, Safory, et al. Medical moral and social problems of human cloning. Diss. 2015.