Cloning in 1997, When the World First

Cloning

In 1997, when the world first heard about Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult, the possibility of cloning a human moved from science fiction into the realm of reality. Now Congress is taking up the question of whether human cloning should be allowed. There are many pros and cons to this issue, but the benefits certainly outweigh the concerns regarding people's feelings against cloning.

It is now believed that it might be easier to clone humans than was previously believed. According to research at Duke University (Gorman, 2001), people have a genetic quirk that might prevent some of the developmental deformities associated with animal cloning. The mechanics in making a clone involve scientists to first take an egg and remove all of its genetic material. Then the nucleus of a cell is taken from the individual to be cloned and inserted into the egg. The cell is then given a jolt of electricity to activate cell division, basically tricking the cell into doing what a fertilized egg would normally do.

Then the embryo is implanted into a surrogate who carries it to term.

Marc Zabludoff (1998), editor of Discover Magazine, attended the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Philadelphia, Pennsylavinia in 1998. One of the speakers was Ian Wilmut, the leader of the research team that cloned Dolly, the lamb. Dr. Wilmut explained that the elements of our current technology do not allow the attempt to successfully clone humans. He maintained that the science world was not looking to clone humans, but cloning with animals would provide many benefits.

In August of 2001, many scientists met Washington D.C. To talk about human cloning and agreed that cloning an entire human being would be questioned morally and also have technical obstacles. After all, research into animal cloning had already shown that for every apparent success like Dolly the sheep, there were hundreds of failures, including many badly deformed creatures that were usually miscarried. However, scientists continue to research the potential benefits of cloning and to lobby for permission to proceed.

Cloning animals would serve many useful purposes and would be the focus of the biotechnology industry (Biotechnology Industry Organization, 2001). Biotechnology has been practiced since man began to ferment fruit and milk products thousands of years ago. However, today biotechnology has led us to discover the advantages of cloning. Cloning may provide numerous benefits for human beings. Ever since agriculture and the domesticated raising of animals, man has been modifying the genetic make-up of animals by selective breeding. For example, livestock of superior quality could be cloned for farmers. Such livestock would yield higher quality meat, milk, and wool.

People could also clone animals that produce human proteins and other substances used in medical drugs. Another possibility for the use of cloning is the generation of genetically modified animal organs that are suitable for transplantation into humans. At present, thousands of patients die each year before a replacement heart, liver, or kidney becomes available (Wilmut, 1998).

Although genetic disorders represent a small fraction of the total burden of ill health, genetic engineering in the form of "gene therapy" could be used to repair damaged or replace missing genes in people who have genetic disorders. This would be another promising aspect of cloning. The rapid production of large animals carrying genetic defects that mimic human illnesses, such as cystic fibrosis. The ability to make animals with a precisely engineered genetic constitution could also become cell-bases therapies for important illnesses that include Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and muscular dystrophy. With new research in the area of cloning and stem cell research, cures might be found for these illnesses that affect many human lives.