HUMAN CLONING Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human.

It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor to the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning; human clones in the form of identical twins are commonplace, with their cloning occurring during the natural process of reproduction. It has always been an issue of controversy ethically and religiously. It is an important issue because it involves ethics, morality and respect for human existence. It has been a debate for years because it, as many intellects say, violates many aspects of human life. PHILOSOPHERS IDEAS In June 1998, President Clinton publicly condemned human cloning. He opined that any discovery that touches upon human creation is not simply a matter of scientific inquiry. It is a matter of morality and spirituality as well. Each human life is unique, born of a miracle that reaches beyond laboratory science. In 1997- Feb, Carl Felbaum, president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization said: One of the prospects should not be, perhaps should never be, the extension of this technique to human beings. Now that it may be possible we would say it should be prohibited if necessary by law. Stephen Grebe, an associate professor of biology at American University in Washington said: We are going to be facing this issue with humans. With that possibility open, I am concerned without adequate safeguards that this will become a reality. It may very well already be. Jesse Rainbow, a university sophomore, lists reasons why some people have a knee-jerk aversion to embryo cloning. A clone would not be a real person. But a clone would have exactly the same status that an identical twin already does. Both are derived from a single fertilized ovum. According to the Andrews Report, the most common reason for regarding human cloning for reproductive purposes as unethical was that it would be a contrary to human dignity.. As Professor Savulescu so neatly counters, to say that creating a clone is an affront to human dignity is like saying that deliberately creating a black person, or a woman, affronts human dignity. The statement itself affronts the dignity of cloned people. References http://www.ethicalrights.com/submissions/embryonic-stem-cells/51.html http://library.thinkquest.org/C0122429/ethics/disadvantages.htm
http://www.chr.gov.ph/MAIN%20PAGES/about%20hr/advisories/pdf_files/legislative_agenda.as%20edite d.pdf http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3217-first-cloned-baby-born-on-26-december.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_cloning

IS CLONING THE ANSWER? Human cloning has gone from a laboratory fantasy to a global debate. It has been an argument for years ever since the birth of Dolly, the very first mammal cloned from a somatic cell, attracted wide public attention in Japan, and the words cloned human being. It is not much heard than other social issues like brain death and organ transplant. There are intellects that supported both the positive and the negative effects of human cloning. For the supporters of human cloning believes that human cloning is the answer to the prayers of infertile individuals. This belief is the main reason behind the idea of human cloning. In Andrews report, he listed some arguments against human cloning: (a) Cloning would be unsafe. (b) There is no medical need for cloning. (c) Cloning would constitute an infringement of human dignity, that a cloned child could be a means to an end. (d) Cloning for reproductive purposes would have a negative effect on the family and personal relationships, that is it is inappropriate to bring a child into the world outside the usual social setting of a family involving a mother or father. (e) Cloning would undermine individuality and identity. (f) Cloning would potentially pose a threat to human diversity and cause a reduction in genetic diversity. Though he has listed many disadvantages of cloning, many intellects find his argument as weak except for the safety issue. Other the ones listed in Andrews report, there are still different disadvantages brought about by human cloning. After the experiment of Dolly, many embryos died ((The Dolly experiment started with 277 fused eggs, of which only 29 became embryos. All the embryos were transferred to 13 sheep. 1 became pregnant with Dolly). Based on these results, if a human clone would survive, would it live normally? In human cloning, all human beings will be identical. Which means that entire human is at a risk of getting infected by the same type of pathogen. In scientific point of view, if everyone has the same type of genes and they are closed to each other they may not defend against the same kind of serious disease. Then cloning will be detrimental in terms of a great disaster. It transgresses nature for its way of reproducing humans is unnatural. It also devastates parenting and family life because it undermines the basic elements of loving, nurturing family and to accept each child as unique individuals. It creates unbalance in the society because it encourages people to selectively breed children who are of more intelligent, heavier and extraordinary. There is also a clergyman who said that human cloning is like playing God. After presenting these ideas, I conclude that human cloning should not be practiced because it would lessen the worth of individuals and diminish respect for human life. It is not the answer to the problem of infertility. It may give hope to other people but it would be too risky if it would be practiced. It would be of harm to us because it may create unbalance in the society. Human cloning would not only affect the society but also the clone himself because, though he would be born normally, he would feel alienated which leads to psychological trauma just because he is not reproduced normally. He would not also have his own identity because he is just a clone of another individual. Lastly, human cloning itself is a con because humans are being treated as machines, we, humans, must be reproduced normally and not by science.

--- Marianne M. Suba BS Accountancy 3A