Much Ado About Cloning

There was a time when the idea of human cloning was pure science fiction, a fairy tale for entertainment purposes only. In recent years advances in technology have made human cloning a very real possibility, and even likelihood. Like any new concept or science throughout human history, the idea of human cloning has many people combatting the advances based on ideology and fear. There is indeed much evidence that suggests this science is still very young and there are still a lot of kinks that need to be worked out in order for it to be successful. However, there are many people who want this science stopped all together. The "Human Cloning and Prohibition Act", drafted by Americans United for Life (AUL), has been introduced and reintroduced to congress four times in the past decade including this year and is currently under review. To date there are no laws prohibiting human cloning in the United States. The purpose of the Act is to "prohibit the use of cloning technology to initiate the development of new human beings at the embryonic stage of life for any purpose." There are two types of human cloning. The first is called therapeutic cloning. Therapeutic cloning is for research and for creating tissues and organs that can be used for transplants. The other type of human cloning is reproductive cloning. Reproductive cloning actually produces offspring. The AUL does not differentiate between the two types of human cloning because they both produce a human embryo. It is the belief of the AUL that a human embryo is a human being. Embryo is defined as "an organism of the species homo sapiens from the single cell stage to eight weeks development." Basically, an embryo is a fertilized egg. The subject of whether or not an embryo is a human being has been the center of debates and legislation for many years in the fight to illegalize abortion. The abortion debate and the cloning debate share one question: When does life begin? Cloning goes a step further and has the public asking: Is it ethical to create a duplicate? The intent of this essay is to show the numerous health benefits that can be derived from human cloning while simultaneously combatting the general misconceptions of the masses that breed fear and halt science.

Therapeutic Cloning

Therapeutic cloning also known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a complicated process. First the scientist extracts the nucleus from an egg which holds genetic material for a human being. The scientist then extracts the nucleus from a somatic cell which is any body cell other than egg or sperm from a given patient. The nucleus from the body cell is then placed in the egg. The egg now contains the genetic material, or basic instructions of the given patient. The scientist then stimulates the egg with an electrical charge which brings it to life and enables it to start the division process. Soon after, a cluster of cells called a blastocyst is formed usually about five days after fertilization. The inner layer of the blastocyst is very rich in stem cells. The stem cells are then isolated and used to create embryonic stem cells. The stem cells are then extracted from the embryo and inserted into the damaged tissue of the patient and they almost instantaneously start to regenerate and rebuild the damaged tissue with healthy tissue. Because the stem cells contain the genetic material of the given patient, rejection of the stem cells or organs created from them is highly unlikely. This procedure can be greatly beneficial to fight many life threatening illnesses, and can greatly reduce the need for organ transplants by giving the body the tools it needs to fight the illness and regenerate healthy tissue. The problem with this substitution process is that it could take many attempts before an egg with a substituted nucleus will actually be viable and start to divide. Also, once the stem cells are extracted the embryo is destroyed. This is where the AUL takes issue with therapeutic cloning. The AUL claims that because the embryo could potentially grow into a human being, then destroying the embryo is no different than taking a human life.

Reproductive Cloning

Reproductive cloning uses the exact same process as therapeutic cloning. The only difference being that instead of extracting the stem cells and destroying the embryo, the embryo continues to grow until it is at a viable stage to be placed in the uterus of a surrogate host. The embryo would then continue to grow and be birthed as any other fetus. The fetus would simply be an identical twin to the donor patient. As with therapeutic cloning, reproductive cloning science is still in its infancy. The process of SCNT could endanger an embryo and cause birth defects, poor immune system and a short life span. If the AUL's "Human Cloning Prohibition Act" passes, research would be forced to a halt, and scientists could face up to ten years in prison if they were to continue their research. There is a level of risk in any new medical technology. Throughout history, most new medical procedures have been feared, scorned and referred to as mad science. Also, history shows us over and over again that ideology has stood in the way of medical progression accusing doctors and scientists of "playing God." If research continues, scientists will undoubtedly perfect the reproductive cloning procedure. By doing so cloning would allow for people to have genetically related children where other fertility treatments have failed. Once reproductive cloning is perfected and judged to be safe it should be considered a reproductive right as with in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Fears and Misconceptions

On May 15, 2006 the Center for Genetics and Society (CGS) made this statement "The Center for Genetics and Society believes that when all the arguments are considered together the case for allowing human cloning is not compelling, and that the harms of doing so are great." Unfortunately, when I reviewed the arguments the CGS considered I found them to be lacking and certainly did not encompass "all" arguments in favor or against human cloning. One argument against cloning the CGS lists is "cloning would foster the understanding that people can be designed and manufactured to possess specific characteristics." While I completely agree with this statement, I don't understand why this should be a valid argument. I see this as a very useful science especially in the case of China. China has a one-child policy. Tens of thousands of baby girls are abandoned in China every year because parents want male children. If a mother could specify the sex of her infant before getting pregnant, it stands to reason that there would be a great reduction in