Essays

Ever since the sheep Dolly was cloned in 1997, a new field of controversy had been flung open whether  his newly acquired technology of cloning is beneficial or detrimental to human race. It was not by accident that Dolly was cloned. It took nearly about 276 nuclear transfer procedures by a Scottish Scientist at the Roslin Institute in order to create the first cloned animal ever. The success rate of reproductive cloning still remains doubtful at the present moment because the dangers of reproductive cloning are many. It was seen that during mammalian reproductive cloning, a large section of clones suffered from a weakening of the immune system which naturally reduces the animal's capacity to combat infections, diseases and other health related problems. Besides, many of the clones thus produced suffered from major abnormalities, for instance, deformation of an organ or its absence.

Research has shown that out of all the attempts on reproductive cloning, 90% of them fail to produce even one viable offspring. Early human cloning experiments are thus at a big stake because they will be more prone to similar abnormalities found in animal clones. These abnormalities might result into further medical complications as miscarriages, abortions, birth of offspring with highly deformed organs or abnormal features. Moreover, human cloning is believed to be unethical and immoral.

Another impediment that puts a question mark on reproductive cloning is the uncertainty on the kind of mental development, the clone will have. The mental development of an animal clone produced is of little significance but it acquires important dimensions when it comes to human cloning. Reproductive cloning might put great psychological burdens. One must understand that reproductive cloning only replicates the genetic material of the progenitor, thus there is least possibility of an exact 'replica' to be produced. Clones raised under different circumstances and environments will turn out to be different in their personalities. Infinite other uncertainties related to the mental development of the offspring, the inefficiency to develop healthy and normal human clones along with many other dangers for the present moment makes human cloning unethical, immoral and even unscientific. It is morally unacceptable because it converts a natural and sacred process of human procreation into a mechanized and beastly human manufacturing industry. The concept is so new and unexplored that the dangers of its processes are ethical issues that are unresolved. Thus, till these are resolved, it is wise to ban the dangerous attempts to clone humans.

On the other hand, therapeutic cloning, which is often confused with reproductive cloning, does not attempt to create an offspring or the replica of progenitor. In fact, in this process, vital stem cells are taken from human embryos, which are in turn used to generate tissues and organs which again in turn can be used for transplantation. The ultimate goal of this is to treat various kinds of heart diseases, Alzheimer's disease and it is helpful even in fighting cancer. Reproductive cloning used for the conception of an offspring which possesses certain desired characteristics of the progenitor is much shrouded in controversy. Therapeutic cloning has a much better position to take, even though reproductive cloning might prove beneficial for individuals with fertility problems for through  eproductive cloning they might be able to produce biologically related children. Moreover, the couples who are at a risk of transferring genetic diseases will be able to produce healthy off springs due to reproductive cloning.

Cloning, thus as a new branch of knowledge and bio-technology, is still in its primary stage. It will have to be explored more deeply and tested more rigorously to become acceptable. Thus wisely so, human reproductive cloning is banned for the time being due to its dangerous impositions, inefficient processes and ethical irresponsibility. Though till date, a number of species have been cloned successfully, yet human cloning poses a big dilemma and due to its primitive nature, it seems to be more prone to failure than success.