“Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make useful products and use biological systems to make and modify products”. It provides organisms to make food products such as meats and dairy products. It also provides as a breakthrough for certain disease. Although biotechnology has done well for society, it also stirs up controversy. One of the ethical issues in technology that is very controversial is cloning. Some people would say cloning is the future, while others including myself would say it is harming our futures. I am against cloning because of the unethical experimentations, procreations turn into manufactures, and it threatens individuality and identity. In this report you will be learning about what is cloning, the pros and cons of cloning, and how to fix this controversial issue.
Cloning is a cell or organism that is genetically identical to the unit or individual from which is was derived from. Cloning can be done on animals, plants, food, and even humans. The three types of cloning are Gene, Reproductive, and Therapeutic Cloning. Gene cloning creates copies the DNA, Reproductive cloning involves copies of animals, and Therapeutic cloning deals with stem cells in human beings body. One of the pros from cloning is that it can replace internal organs and tissue. Embryonic stem cells can grow and produce new organs and tissue from the damaged one. When patients are in need of a transplant, instead of waiting for an organ donor, they would just clone their organs and tissues. So if someone got into a car accident and needed a new heart and a new face, cloning would produce the organ so they could have another organ and the tissue so they could make his face without scars. Another pro for cloning is it being the solution to couples who have infertility issues. There are couples in this would who have problems producing kids because of health reasons. So they would turn to adoption agency to find a child that can filled their emptiness. Sometimes adoption is not enough for couples and they find other ways to have babies. Cloning actually allows couples to decide which qualities in their genes they want to pass down to their kids.
Even though cloning helps certain couples when it comes to having babies the problem rest in it being an unethical experiment. Cloning is an unethical experiment because scientist and doctors know the risk and danger it brings about. Cloning can lead to deaths and defects on the kids while, leaving the parents broke, physically and emotionally scared. Kass states, “fewer than two to three percent of all cloning attempts succeeded” (p.316). This statement means that the other 97% to 98% of all cloning attempts end with death or defects to the baby. One of the cons is that cloning would try to play the role of God or in Kass’s word “procreation would turn into manufactures”. In my eyes God created everything from the earth to the people who walk the earth. He made everybody with different and unique traits that would show their individuality. Kass states, “Any child whose being, character, and capacities exist owing to human design does not stand on the same plane as its makers” (p.317). Just because men have the ability to create humans does not mean they have the ability to be God. Cloning threatens individuality and identity because they are living a life that was already lived. Basically they become confused on if they are living life their way or the way of the person who was cloned. Instead of bringing life into this world and being equal we are making life into this world and having a master.
The best way to solve this problem is by banning it from society by making it a law. Cloning organs and tissue should not be banned but cloning people should be banned. If cloning was to get in the wrong hands such as terrorists, we would be doomed.
In conclusion I’ am against cloning. To me cloning is not a natural process but a technology process. I feel as we as people are helping and hurting each other at the same time. For example women who cannot have kids can use cloning to have a baby but the risk of that is a defect or even worse unexpected death.