Some Important Elements in the Cloning Debate
Some Important Elements in the Cloning Debate
Cloning is producing a genetically identical organism to its parent. Since 1997, there have been many examples of cloning. Two examples are of Dolly the sheep and Tetra the monkey. These two clones are examples of different techniques used for cloning. And because of the previous two examples of cloning many ethical questions have been raised.
In 1997, Scottish scientist Ian Wilmut and his workers produced a sheep named Dolly. What was so great about Dolly? Dolly was a clone. She was made from a cell of an adult female sheep. This technique is known as Nuclear Transfer. It removed the Nucleus from a female’s egg and replaces it with a nucleus from a different animal from the same species. Then they place the egg in the uterus of a third animal.
On January14, 1999 Tetra, a rheas monkey, was produced. The technique used for the cloning of Tetra was Embryo-splitting. This involves splitting an early-stage embryo. This creates multiple embryos that are genetically identical.
In Nuclear transfer when the nucleus is removed it carries genetic information and directs all cell activities. After the nucleus is implanted into another cell without a nucleus. Then the egg is placed into the womb of a surrogate mother.
Embryo- splitting causes the embryo to continue dividing in half, thirds, or fourths which causes identical twins, triplets, or quadruplets. It can only make up to a maximum of four genetically identical animals. In genetically identical animals. In Nuclear transfer unlimited numbers of genetically identical animals.
Both of these techniques have something in common. They raise many ethical questions. Some of these questions are Does man have the right to control life? Would we make a human clone later on? Should cloning be banned from the United States?
No one can make the decisions for everyone and they can't please them as well.
These ethical questions lead us to the pros and the con’s of cloning. There are two sides to any perspective. The Pros are not as numerous as the Cons but they are just as important.
The Pros are that cloning can genetically alter individual animals within a group so all of them would carry a desired trait, increased growth potential or...