Ethics and Perspectives on Human Cloning

Applications

Although much controversy surrounds the topic of human cloning, there are also
many practical benefits and uses. These include the use of the technology for
infertile couples. A couple may have a child by cloning either the mother or
father; this may be the only
method in which infertile couples
can have a child of their own. As
Dan Brock points out, “cloning
would allow women who have no
ova or men who have no sperm
to produce an offspring that is
biologically related to them” (90).
Additionally, human cloning may
be used along with in vitro
fertilization (IVF) technology.
Couples utilizing IVF would also
be able to benefit from human
cloning. This technology would
potentially allow the couple to
increase the number of embryos
to be implanted into the woman’s
uterus, since each egg may be
induced to divide into two,
producing twins. Brock notes
that “embryos might be cloned, either by nuclear transfer or embryo splitting in
order to…improve the chances of successful conception” (90). This would ensure
that enough eggs were created, eliminating costs and physical afflictions of
additional surgical procedures.

In the United States, many people find the idea of homosexuality objectionable.
Whether one is in favor of homosexuality or not, human cloning may also be a
prospective candidate that would allow these couples to have children of their
own. Homosexual female couples who wish for children but do not want the
involvement of male partners may be able to produce a clone of themselves.
This cloned child would “be biologically connected with both people” such that “a
cell nucleus from one of them be inserted into an egg from the other, and that the
embryo be implanted in the uterus of the woman who donated the egg” (Kitcher
58). In the case of a gay couple, each child would come to represent an
individual in the relationship.

Cloning may too be used to produce children free of hereditary diseases. For
instance, genetic diseases such as disorders affecting the brain, muscles, and
eyes could be prevented from affecting a couple’s offspring. If the genetic flaw is
carried by one member of the couple, the normal individual may be cloned.
Moreover, this technology would allow individual lives to be saved. If an
individual in a family was ill, it would be possible to use cloning to produce
another identical individual in order to obtain a tissue or organ match. On the
other hand, individuals nearing death may be cloned to produce a replacement.
If the individual led a long life, free from physical and mental diseases, then
cloning the individual would increase the likelihood that his or her re-existence
vwould be a healthy and happy life. Along the same lines, cloning would allow
couples to bear children with certain desirable traits. Whether its intellectual
capabilities or physical abilities, couples can fulfill their aspirations through
choosing the best qualities for their offspring.

2- Nuclear Transfer

One type of cloning that has been in the news is called nuclear transfer. This is the
process where the nuclear material from an oocyte or a female sex cell is removed and a
somatic cell's or body cell's nucleus is inserted in to the egg cell.

The newly formed zygote has the potential to divide into a blastocyst, and, if implanted,
the zygote will form into a genetic copy of the organism that the somatic cell's nucleus
came from. The objective for this procedure is to create genetic copies of individuals of
certain species. The process is outlined in the diagram below.
Pros and Cons of Cloning

PROS:

• Produce animals with desirable traits.

• Increase the efficiency of the livestock production.
• Offset losses of among endangered species populations.
• Enable better research for finding cures to many diseases.
• Provide children for parents who would like a child but can't have one for various
reasons.
• Provide parents with an opportunity to clone a child who has died.

CONS:

• Decline in genetic diversity.

• Taking nature into our own hands.
• Religious and moral reasons.
• Physical problems, such as birth defects.
• Possibility of mental and emotional problems of the clone.