Cloning

The Solution

Human cloning could cause numerous problems within society. There is a solution, however. Since human cloning does not have any function within society, it should be banned.
Jane Maienschein, a biology professor, believes in the regulation of genetic engineering. She says, “ The ability to splice genetic sequences into living organisms …raises fears that we are…unleashing something that we will not be able to control. Certainly it is wise and sensible to ask …where such boundaries might exist. Astonishingly, this work is largely unregulated. Most occurs in fertility clinics. The reaction to those first cases of recombining DNA in the 1970s is instructive. The scientists themselves quickly saw that applying the techniques could lead to the irreversible creation of ‘unnatural’ genetic ‘monsters.’ They called for careful consideration of what they knew.” (Maienschein p151, 153, 154-155)
George Annas, chair of the department of Health Law at Boston University, thinks human cloning should be banned. He says, “There are no good or sufficient reasons to clone a human. Replication of a human by cloning would radically alter the very definition of a human being by producing the world’s first human with a single genetic parent. It is the manufacture of a person made to order. This change…represents a challenge to human dignity and the potential devaluation of human life. Cloning is replication, not reproduction. Applying this technology to humans is too dangerous to human life and values. Cloning has no real military or paramilitary uses.” He also speaks out on “cloning a dying child. This should not be permitted. This encourages the parents to produce one child in the image of another. It encourages all of us to view children as interchangeable commodities. No one should have such dominion over a child. Only government has the authority to restrain science and technology until its social and moral implications are adequately examined. We have a number of options. The first is for Congress to simply ban the use of human cloning. One of the most important procedural steps a federal Human Experimentation Agency should take is to put the burden of proof on those who propose to do extreme and novel experiments. Cloning proponents should have to prove that there is a compelling reason to approve research on it.” (Annas p183-190)
These experts either believe in regulation or banning. They are convincing in their arguments. Human cloning should be banned.

L Lisa Messenger
English 102 1077 TR 12:30
April 17, 2003
Essay: 3

Works Cited

Annas, George. “Human Cloning Should Be Banned” 1997

Maienschein, Jane. “Genetic Engineering Should Be More Closely Regulated” 2000