Human Cloning: Benefits of Lifting the Research Ban
This essay argues in favor of lifting government bans on human cloning research, contending that the potential benefits outweigh the largely fear-based objections. The paper surveys three primary justifications for expanded cloning research: addressing infertility, advancing medical treatments for serious diseases and injuries, and fostering open scientific inquiry. It acknowledges concerns — including ethical questions about organ harvesting, the risk of botched procedures, and socioeconomic inequality of access — but maintains that regulated, well-funded research is preferable to clandestine experimentation. The essay draws on examples ranging from Dolly the sheep to proposed therapeutic applications such as spinal cord repair and tissue transplantation.
- Introduction: Cloning and Public Controversy: Overview of cloning debate and thesis statement
- The Case for Lifting the Ban on Cloning Research: Three reasons to promote cloning research
- Cloning as a Solution to Infertility: Cloning as alternative infertility and adoption solution
- Medical Research and Therapeutic Applications: Organ growth, disease treatment, and tissue repair
- Objections and Ethical Concerns: Frankenstein fears, organ harvesting, cost inequity
- Conclusion: Toward Regulated Cloning Research: Call to fund and regulate cloning research
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay opens with a compelling hook — the birth of Dolly the sheep — and immediately situates the debate in a broader cultural, scientific, and religious context, drawing the reader in before stating its thesis.
- It preemptively addresses counterarguments (Frankenstein analogies, organ harvesting, affordability) within a dedicated section, demonstrating awareness of opposing views rather than ignoring them.
- The argument is organized around three clear pillars — infertility, medical research, and scientific freedom — giving the essay a logical, easy-to-follow structure.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses a classical argumentative structure: introduce the controversy, state a thesis, develop supporting points, concede and rebut objections, then conclude with a call to action. This anticipate-and-refute approach strengthens the persuasive case by showing the author has considered multiple perspectives before arriving at a reasoned position.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with background on cloning and a thesis statement favoring research. It then moves through three supporting arguments — infertility, medical applications, and scientific openness — before devoting a paragraph to counterarguments. The conclusion restates the thesis and issues a policy recommendation to politicians and scientists. The Works Cited section uses MLA-style formatting with online sources.
Introduction: Cloning and Public Controversy
Dolly, the world's first cloned sheep, took the world by storm. Since her birth in 1997, the potential benefits and potential pitfalls of cloning have been debated by scientists, doctors, and bioethicists, with few clear breakthroughs. Most governments in Europe, Asia, and North America have banned or significantly restricted research into human cloning. Animal cloning is also falling out of favor, as the exercise is expensive and, as of yet, relatively unsuccessful. Cloning has put religious communities into a frenzy as well, for it raises some complicated and troubling questions about the nature of life and the powers inherent in creating it.
However, the science of cloning is still in its infancy. Plants have been cloned for thousands of years, but human and animal cloning could yield great medical advancements and breakthroughs. Human cloning could serve as a healthy alternative to fertility drugs and could lead to the development of viable tissues that can be used to repair abnormal or diseased parts of the body. Even animal cloning has the potential to assist medical technology by creating organs and tissues that can be used for health and healing.
Nevertheless, something about the concept of cloning makes people uneasy. Perhaps Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein is partly to blame for some of the negative connotations and fears surrounding the practice. Opponents of cloning cite ethical dilemmas: cloned human beings might be treated as inferior to naturally born ones and might also be born with defects or painful abnormalities. Cloning also amounts to "playing God," according to some detractors. Cloning failures are, in fact, one of the main reasons why more research should be done to perfect the procedure. The potentially positive benefits of cloning for medical research outweigh the risks, which are mainly based on fear.
The Case for Lifting the Ban on Cloning Research
Three main reasons to promote research into human cloning include infertility research, medical research, and the general fostering of scientific inquiry. Banning research into cloning is unwise because scientists all over the world will continue to work in clandestine laboratories using substandard and under-funded equipment. If the ban on cloning is lifted, scientists can more rapidly investigate proper cloning procedures while bioethicists work out the public policy parameters for the applications of cloned organisms.
Cloning as a Solution to Infertility
Infertility is an emotionally debilitating problem that affects many couples throughout the world. Because adoption procedures are stringent and expensive, cloning should be examined as an alternative to standard infertility treatment programs. Infertility drugs often create problems of their own, and sometimes lead to abnormal or multiple births that can place significant economic strain on parents. According to Simon Smith of HumanCloning.org, "current infertility treatments are less than 10% successful. Couples go through physically and emotionally painful procedures for a small chance of having children. Many couples run out of time and money without successfully having children." Infertility is therefore a major reason why more research should be conducted on human cloning.
On a related note, perfecting the cloning procedure would enable gay couples to become biological parents. Currently, same-sex couples face restrictions on adopting children and, in many states and countries, are prohibited from marrying. Cloning would allow gay and lesbian couples to have children and overcome some of the legal obstacles standing in their way.
Conclusion: Toward Regulated Cloning Research
When all things are considered, cloning can be of enormous benefit to the human community. Medical benefits include the production of healthy organs and tissues for the sick, an alternative to fertility drugs, and assistance for gay couples wishing to have biological children. Fears about cloning are understandable but will be alleviated as more research is performed. The only way to determine whether human cloning is viable and feasible is to conduct and fund further research. Therefore, the ban on cloning should be lifted, and funding should be channeled into refining the cloning process. Politicians should reconsider the ban, and scientists and bioethicists should be empowered to pursue one of the most promising scientific developments of this century.
Works Cited
Dixon, Patrick. "Human Cloning Headlines." Online at <http://www.globalchange.com/clonenews.htm>.
"Dolly." HowStuffWorks.com. Online at <http://science.howstuffworks.com/cloning3.htm>.
Smith, Simon. "All the Reasons to Clone Human Beings." HumanCloning.org. Online at <
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