Moral and Ethical Dilemmas of Human Cloning

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the controversial issue of cloning. It analyzes the moral and ethical implications of cloning and whether it is correct to conduct cloning at all. The paper describes the origins of cloning, the methods currently used and the problems with the process.

From the Paper:

" Cloning can basically be described as the copying of genes and other pieces of chromosomes to generate identical material. Two other types of cloning produce complete, genetically identical animals. Blastomere separation (sometimes called "twinning" after the naturally occurring process that creates identical twins) involves splitting a developing embryo soon after fertilization of the egg by a sperm (sexual reproduction) to give rise to two or more embryos (Wilmut, 998). The resulting organisms are identical twins (clones) containing DNA from both the mother and the father. The second type of cloning that is more controversial in terms of its moral and ethical implications is when the identical material that has been generated consists of the DNA of only one parent. With the innovation of the second type of cloning that came primarily with the birth of Dolly, a number of moral, social, ethical and legal issues were raised with regard to it. Religious and social organizations were outraged at the prospect of creating animals (not to forget humans) that did not involve the natural process of conception. The right to create a life, they claimed was after all ultimately in the hands of the Creator and to play around with that was tantamount to interrupting the path of Nature (Wilmut, 1998). However before one moves on to discuss the moral and ethical dilemmas of cloning, it is important to briefly study the history of this controversial process."

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• Argumentative Essay # 47483 : "An Argument Against Human Cloning"
• Analytical Essay # 118420 : "The Morality of Cloning"

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