M3A1: Animal Cloning

Essay Instructions:

Introduction to the Activity:
In 1996 history was made when a sheep named Dolly was the first animal to be successfully cloned (Wilmut et al. 1997). Since then there have been numerous advancements in the science of cloning, resulting in the development of other clones from horses, cats, and mouse (AMA-ASSN). While scientists have yet to clone a human, some researchers did successfully generate stem cells from cloned human embryos (AMA-ASSN). Since Dolly, there has been a concomitant increase in moral, social, and ethical arguments over the possibility of applying this new technology to humans. It has been theorized that human cloning could present numerous benefits (PBS). For example, it is hoped by some that one day therapeutic cloning can be used to generate organs and tissues for transplants (Human Genome Project). If human cloning were to become viable it would not be long before someone would be willing to pay to create a clone of themselves.
In this activity you review the biological and ethical issues associated with human cloning. You provide background information, considerations, and describe the feasibility of human cloning from a biological perspective. Now discuss some of the ethical and societal implications surrounding the issue.
References:
AMA-ASSN. (N.D.) Human Cloning. Retrieved from http://www(dot)ama-assn(dot)org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-science/genetics-molecular-medicine/related-policy-topics/stem-cell-research/human-cloning.page
Human Genome Project. (N.D.) Human Genome Project Information: Cloning Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www(dot)ornl(dot)gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml
PBS. (N.D.) Human Cloning: How close is it? Retrieved from http://www(dot)pbs(dot)org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/fertility/etc/cloning.html
Wilmut, I., A. E. Schnieke, J. McWhir, A.J. Kind, and K.H. Campbell. (1997). Viable offspring derived from fetal and adult mammalian cells. Nature 385(6619):810–813.
Please answer the questions below keeping in mind what you learned about the interaction between genes and the environment during development. Use the information provided in Ch. 7 and relevant external resources, such as the sources cited above, to support your response. Then, explain why the final question is an ethical issue and not one that can be answered using the scientific method. Provide background information to the reader so that they have a basic level of understanding of the topic. Be sure to describe considerations for this topic. For example, discuss the considerations for research or ethical arguments surrounding this issue. Finally, discuss the role that each of us as members of society plays in this issue.
To what extent would the phenotype of a human clone resemble the phenotype of the donor? Why or why not? Is human cloning even possible? Should we be concerned?
Instruction to Learners:
The essay must be at least 2 pages (approximately 500 words) and be no longer than 4 pages. The title page and reference page are not included in the page or word count. The paper must address the following topics within the text.
Introduction containing background information on human cloning
Feasibility of producing human clones identical to the donor including a consideration of the effect of genetics and the environment on development
List of considerations involved in addressing the ethical issue of human cloning
Responsibilities of society pertaining to this issue
Refer to the APA Formatting Guidelines for guidelines on appropriate format for your essay.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

M3A1
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Animal cloning has been described as a milestone towards attaining successful human clones. Due to the success of animal cloning, scientists have speculated that human cloning will soon become a reality, sparking ethical, moral, and social arguments for and against human cloning. There have also been questions on whether human cloning is actually possible despite the leads by scientists after the success of animal cloning. The current task discusses on the various ethical issues that have to be considered when advocating for human cloning and the biological viability of successful human cloning.
Background information
Cloning is a biological term that refers to the duplication of genes of a living organism. In human cloning, a genetic copy of an individual is created that genetically resembles the owner of the genetics. An adult cell will provide genetic material, which will be put into an egg whose genetic content has been removed. With the provision of the favorable conditions, the egg develops into an embryo, which when placed in the embryo will develop into a full grown baby. This means that, if a woman allows such a procedure to b conducted, then the daughter will be regarded as a genetic sister of the woman that allowed her genetic material to be used. Simply put, human cloning is creating a replica of oneself through scientific means (PBS, 2014).
Ethical issues
Ethics behind human cloning has become an important topic of discussion. One of the major ethical issues presented in human cloning is that it is a compromise of human nature and dignity. When an individual is cloned, it means that they will be creating a replica of themselves in terms of their genetic structure, which compromises the dignity of human beings. Human beings were meant to reproduce naturally and any attempts by human beings to produce replica of themselves would be a compromise of the human dignity. If human cloning becomes successful, it is possible that people will be able to customize their offspring, which is against natural laws. When human beings were created, they were meant to multiply and create new traits through cross breeding, which is the major reason why intermarriage between relatives is ethically and socially unacceptable. The ethical issues presented on the side effects of human cloning depict that human cloning is ethically unacceptable and other ways should be adopted in solving reproductive issues that it seeks to solve (Presidents` council on bioethics, 2012).
Social issues
There are social issues that have been presented on human cloning if it ever becomes successful. If ...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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M3A1: Animal Cloning

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