The Perfect Copy (Unraveling the Cloning Debate) by Nicholas Agar Essay Example for Free

The Perfect Copy (Unraveling the Cloning Debate) by Nicholas agar Es opineNicholas Agar is a professor of ethics and a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). Agar has an MA from VUW and a PhD from the Australian National University. He has been teaching at VUW since 1996. He has been known as an expert generator tell aparticularly in the field of transmitteds and ethics. In his book The Perfect Copy Unraveling The Cloning Debate, he attempts to unravels the science and the ethics of re-create and proposes ideas on how we should face this highly controversial topic. To clone or non to clone, that is the question that is in the center of one of the most controversial contentions within the scientific community today. The evince engine room today has given our visual sensation an opportunity to deal with the perils and possibilities of cloning. Even Hollywood has disembarrassden the cloning bandwagon and has glum out servicemany films which exploi t the topic. Although these films be a departure to what is possible, they still manage to pique our imagination and implant in us false nonions and promises. These past few years, with the advances made in regards to cloning, the ethics of this coif has be spot a great neck. Both sides present valid origins to defend their claim.The debate over the ethics of cloning benignant beings becomes a debate over contrasting images of cloning. The method of moral consistency may not give us a dewy-eyed permitted or not permitted answer. The reason is that no wholeness familiar pr put to workice will resemble cloning in every mor ally interesting respect. In all likelihood, we will end up constructing a moral image of cloning out of a variety of familiar activities and practices.It is often puted out that cloning differs from the natural sexual way of having children. Some record that this unnaturalness alone suffices to make cloning wrong. A solid rebuttal to this is that things deemed unnatural but have stock no objection like insulin shots, airplanes, and life saving medicine argon a integral part of mainstream society. If you would follow the unnatural proposal, these things must in addition be unallowed.The main c one timern in ethics is the unease which people have regarding cloning. This instinctive revulsion is said to be due to ingrained wisdom or to an upset stomache. Agar argues that if this was the basis to oppose cloning, then it is very unscientific and flimsy. Moral progress is all about subjecting sub-rational moral urges and aversions to rational scrutiny.The word clone obtains it etymological origin from the greek word klon pith branch. Clones ar copies of electric organisms currently or previously existing with the exact similar nu perish DNA. They do not result from a sexually beginning and thus are not transmittedally different from their provoke organism. In our world, clones are the rule rather than the exception.Most low lev el organisms like algae, bacteria, lower verteb deems, and plants enforce cloning as a means to ensure their reproductive survival. The case of twins is a clear example of cloning which occurs in nature, even among merciful beings. Twins come from one egg that divides into two. in that location is cloning from the moment when multiplication begins to produce two genetically identical children.Cloning ensures that the exact genetic code of the put up is passed on as opposed to sex where only half of each parent is transmitted. This makes cloning more efficient in ensuring the survival of a genetically fit species.One technology that has been used to create clones is reproductive cloning. An example of this is Dolly, the first ever cloned sheep. Dolly was cloned using the originate called embodied cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). A reconstructed egg which derives its genetic material from an adult top hatower is electrified or treated chemically. The resulting cloned embryo is t hen implanted unto the uterus of a female host.It is relevant to point out that clones produced by using nuclear transfer technology are not a even offfully identical clone of the parent animal. This is be driving nuclear DNA composes only 99.7% of the actual heritable data. The rest are found in genes located in the mitochondria.thither are numerous barriers in cloning humans. out from the legal and social issues still currently being debated, cloning with todays technology is in any case very inefficient and dangerous. Cloning technology today is highly expensive. Also the success rate is blue(a) with only less than 10% of cloning attempts achieving success. Also, clones have relatively poor health, and are susceptible to diseases, tumors and some other illnesses. And clones like the first cloned sheep of Australia have been known to die without known cause. Scientist theorize that these defects are due to errors in the reprogramming process. However there has been several c laims by Clonaid and Italian scientists led by Antinori that they are either competent or on the verge of creating human clones.A problem arises in a cloned embryo due to imprinting. It is the marking of the genetic material for the mother and the father so that only one chiffonier be utilized. An error in the genetic imprint from a single donor cell may cause some of the developmental abnormalities of cloned embryos. Also it is postulated that clones are unhealthy due to the fact that they have short telomeres. Telomeres act as clocks, directly affecting the cell structure of an organism before they pass away. Due to the process clones have short telomeres, making them sickly and frail.Cloning is deemed wrong for many reasons. First the process results in the death of many embryos, which may constitute murder. Also cloning is seen as unnatural when they are escort in concepts that are taboo to society, like having clones of the dead, the unborn and the dying. This problem comes from an several(prenominal)s sense of uniqueness. This can be repudiated by the cases of identical twins. Twins may have identical genetic components but they turn out to be different individuals. Moralists have also a problem that cloning gives us a concept of playing God. Bringing back a dead individual or ensuring that a blow will be born as well as extending the life of a dying psyche is seen to be in the realm of the Almighty.The promise of being able to create an exact replica of a given genetic code has given many opportunities for those incapable of having children. Of primary concern are those who are infertile. Cloning as with artificial insemination and other in vitro techniques provide a way for their aim of having children to come true. Another is the families of those with deceased or dying children. They view cloning as a means to once more experience the love of their child. Also, lesbian couples who wish to have a child look on cloning to fulfill their dream. Bu t it must be noted that were the technology realizable and actual human clones producible, cloning can only go so far.The debate of whether a cloned person still has the same trait and behavior as the original leans in favor of no. It is vital to note that it is not only the genetic code that forms the persons identity but that persons experiences, teachers and influences. The issue regarding human clones is that they are born with a genetic bias of who they are, denying them the open future that is a right to every human being.They may be treated as objects rather than as persons. This underlies the discussion o whether the act is that of making rather that begetting. The problem is will being cloned from the somatic cell of an existing person result in the child being regarded as less of a person whose humanity and self-respect would not be fully respected. This points us to the dilemma as to the humanity of clones. And the question is clones less human than we? Are clones of us us in every way, or are they new individuals?One reason to clone humans is for research. The process of therapeutic cloning uses cloned human embryos for research. cloned human beings are not the shoot for of this process but the production of stem cells for research. Any specialized cell in the human em ashes can be derived from stem cells. Stem cells come from five day old eggs.. This act destroys the embryo, rise ethical concerns.Therapeutic cloning has been touted as being able to produce human organs for transplants. Scientists say that for this to be possible, DNA would be obtained from the transplant recipient and injected into a enucleated egg. Stem cells can then be gathered from the egg. These can then be used as a template to produce the particular tissue or organ needed which would be an exact genetic match to the transplant recipient. Because of this fact, it is postulated that the organ will not be rejected by the body during transplant.Another use of therapeutic c loning is the creation of genetically modified pigs which can also be utilized as a ancestry of human organs. The process of xenotranspalntation or the transplanting of animal organs into humans is seen as a medically viable way to accommodate the increasing demand for organs.Pigs are used due to their high rate of reproduction and their being able to be cloned with relative ease. Primates, who are of a much closer genetic match to humans, are more complex and thus much harder to clone. In comparison to other animals, the tissues and organs of pigs are the ones more similar to humans. To be able to achieve this, scientists deactivate the gene in individual pig cells that when detected by the human body, leads to organ rejection. Harvesting of the organs of the resulting clones is then done.Cloning has been seen as an advance in eugenics. Eugenics is the act of manipulating a population to promote one race or persona as superior to others with the end goal of ultimately taking over the population. The idea is that people who are exceptional, who are deemed superior to others in one or many fields, must be cloned since they represent the best of the human race. This idea has many ambiguities particularly on the concept of superior and inferior. Although there were some marvelous ideas in the book, like trading gene samples as a commodity, Agar fails to fully express the debate in this topic.What he does show is that eugenics, by using positive methods would be beneficial to the race. And he also shows the impact of being a clone born under a eugenic driven ideal. There are different cases and different problems with cloning as a reproductive tool. Striking the right equilibrium between procreative freedom and childrens welfare in the age of reproductive cloning is likely to gestate a case-by-case approach.Nevertheless, the transcendental advantage of cloning will be brought about not for simple transplants in mans body to replace his sick organs, but for the complete cloning of the human being to last achieve the immortality of the individual. Man will no longer change the parts of a body discredited to a greater or less degree, but he will leave the old body and change to a new one, which will be also improved by genetic engineering. Thus, the long-sought-after immortality, which man has always desired with all his being, will be achieved.It has been repeated insistently that the human being has a right to life. To ban cloning, then, would be to deny him the right to continue living.If clones were to be feasible, they would probably suffer. This can be brought upon by errors in their production leading to medical illnesses or to the preconceived notions that surround them. It is stipulated by Agar that the human race may not be ready to incorporate the idea of clones living among us. We barely have too many fears and false notions that inevitably we would end up stigmatizing them. Agar proposes that we get rid of these notions and k eep an open and intelligent mind as to what cloning can offer us. We must hornswoggle as a society to separate fact from fiction and to rationalize our views about cloning.ReferencesAlan Man gentleman and the Cloning Question Comparing and Contrasting Arguments http//www.amsa.org/bio/clone.cfm searched October 21 at using google.comWhat Are Some Issues In Cloning? http//learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/cloning/clissues/ searched at Yahoo.comCloningFactSheethttp//www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml searched October 22 using google.com