Human Cloning
Human Cloning Doctor Jerome Kassirer once said, “I’m willing to hold off completely on any kind of human cloning, but I’m not willing to hold off on research that could yield enormous therapeutic benefit.” Human cloning is a controversial topic in science and medicine. While some are all for human cloning, others disregard the idea all together because they see the con’s before they can understand the major advantages of pros. But what exactly is human cloning? Human cloning is the coping of the genetic identity of a human being for therapeutic or reproductive use. In this paper we will thoroughly discuss the types of human cloning, their advantages and disadvantages, and why the cloning of humans for therapeutic use should be prohibited, but the use of cloning for reproductive purposes should be banned.
Though the topic of human cloning seems to be a new innovation to scientific research, studies have dated back to the 1960’s. Nobel Prize winner Joshua Lederberg wrote a column in the “Washington Post” solely on the topic of cloning and human genetics in 1966. Lederberg’s article sparked many debates about whether or not human cloning was acceptable. The article especially brought attention to bioethicist Leon Kass who found human genetic cloning unmoral by stating “the programmed reproduction of man will, in fact, dehumanize him” (Logston).
Genetic cloning took a turn to running tests on animals. In 1977, a German scientist made the claim that he had cloned three mice from embryos. Several previous tests had been run previously on mice by different scientists but no one was ever successful because the mice embryo was so small and the lab tools were so much bigger that the cells were often damaged. The scientist was asked several times to demonstrate his actual procedure to cloning the mice but he would never physically perform it. Just when the world of cloning seemed to be at a stand-still, a new discovery came about.
Though the topic of human cloning seems to be a new innovation to scientific research, studies have dated back to the 1960’s. Nobel Prize winner Joshua Lederberg wrote a column in the “Washington Post” solely on the topic of cloning and human genetics in 1966. Lederberg’s article sparked many debates about whether or not human cloning was acceptable. The article especially brought attention to bioethicist Leon Kass who found human genetic cloning unmoral by stating “the programmed reproduction of man will, in fact, dehumanize him” (Logston).
Genetic cloning took a turn to running tests on animals. In 1977, a German scientist made the claim that he had cloned three mice from embryos. Several previous tests had been run previously on mice by different scientists but no one was ever successful because the mice embryo was so small and the lab tools were so much bigger that the cells were often damaged. The scientist was asked several times to demonstrate his actual procedure to cloning the mice but he would never physically perform it. Just when the world of cloning seemed to be at a stand-still, a new discovery came about.