Human Cloning is an Ethical Nightmare Essay -- Clones Biology Ethics

Technology today is growing at an alarming rate. Things that seemed impossible only a few years ago are now a reality, and some far fetched things such as time travel, that are present in today's science fiction movies, might possibly become reality soon as well. One prevalent idea that seemed impossible a few years ago but that is now a reality is the idea of human cloning. The fantasy that some people had about having clones of themselves or of animals a few years ago is not a fantasy anymore; it is a reality. With the recent cloning of a sheep named Dolly by scientists in Scotland, the powers of cloning are becoming more prevalent. As daunting as this may seem, the human race must now face all the issues related to human cloning, and the one question that comes up amidst all of the relative confusion about the issue is this: Is human cloning a medical miracle or an ethical nightmare? As confusing and complicated as cloning may seem, it is actually a very simple idea to grasp. Garvey says, "In essence, cloning is the artificial fashioning of an identical twin, one that will be younger that its sibling" (7). Taken at surface level, the general principle of cloning is quite simple; an individual gene from a subject is isolated and transplanted in a medium, such as bacteria or yeast, and that isolated gene reproduces and multiplies, creating a clone of the original gene. The media seemed to have lumped cloning into one generalized idea, but in actuality, there are three distinct types of cloning. These three distinct types of cloning are gene cloning, cellular cloning, and whole-organism cloning. Because the media has done a poor job of distinguishing among the three different types of cloning, confusion has arisen a... ...ical code? In many cases the answer is going to be no. Such is the case with cloning. Its promises are extremely appealing, but the price that the cloned people or organs would have to pay is too great. Even though the technology may be present to actually clone things, humans must learn when to put a cap on such things. So the question remains: Is human cloning a medical miracle or an ethical nightmare? It seems obvious that the answer to that question is an ethical nightmare. There is too much at stake in this matter, as far as human life goes, to risk it all on a bunch of promises. The ethical objections far outweigh the supposed gains of this practice, and thus should not become a common practice in today's society. Humans must understand that even though something can be done, does not make that thing right, and such is the case with human cloning.