Positive and negative impacts of cloning on the society

With the increasing life span of human beings, the concept of cloning human beings for replacement of body parts is abuzz in the science world. Though scary, it is not fiction.

Discuss the positive and negative impacts of such procedures on the society?

Should these procedures be legally allowed?

Introduction

Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. This has helped medical science in many ways in saving lives, and prolonging lives. We must encourage research and studies in science. We should not stop progress in science on moral or sentimental grounds.

Cloning in the interest of science

Cloning refers to the process of creating a genetic copy of a living organism, with the exact same DNA. This can happen naturally (in the case of twins), or it can be manmade. For a while, horticultural cloning has been in practice. Since the creation of the first cloned mammal in 1996, science has gradually been progressing to cloning more animals. Named Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned was a sheep. It was processed in a lab, and was carried to term by a surrogate sheep. In April 2014, Winnie the two became the first British dog to be cloned. The pup was born in a lab at Seoul, South Korea.

Cloning has not been tried on human beings yet, due to a battery of legal and moral limitations. Religious groups are arguing that it is against God’s natural order of things. However, there are several other scientific practices that would go against a perceived natural order. For instance, scientific progress has helped several couples who are struggling to conceive have a child of their own. Hearing aids and corneal transplants help deaf people hear, and blind people see. Therefore, cloning should not be looked at as something against the spirit of humankind.

By cloning human beings, we will have the following benefits:

• It will help in medical emergencies. If a person needs replacement of any organ, she or he need not go through the uncertainty of the waiting period. There could also not be a better match, as the clone is an exact copy of a person’s DNA, so chances of rejection are almost zero.

• There are innumerable health benefits for the human race-age reversal, preventing heart attacks, correcting defective genes, preventing Down’ syndrome etc.

Cloning can have the following disadvantages:

• The existing population, which is large enough as it is, will explode. There are insufficient resources to support the residents of the world; adding clones to the population would make things worse.

• The financial repercussions could be huge. Even if there are several health benefits, it might remain out of reach of people who are not financially sound enough to afford it. This will tilt things in the favor of a rich few.

Conclusion

To sum up, we must view breakthroughs in science and research with an open mind, and consider the benefits to humanity. We should not reject any idea without analyzing it thoroughly from all angles.