Cloning

Human cloning is an irresponsible answer to today's medical problems. It is a mistake to look only at the end result - a ready-made supply of spare parts. In our continuing quest to rid society of our bodily ills, we are now forced to debate the social, legal, and physiological ramifications that human cloning is sure to create.

Physiological setbacks make the likelihood of a successful conception-to-birth human clone minuscule. Most cloned mammals have shown slight retardation. If human cloning has the same result, then what is our responsibility to its well-being? Clones could be more readily susceptible to disease from a lack of genetic variation. It is unethical to knowingly create a flawed clone for the gain of a few good organs. But the ongoing research and development of technology hold a bright future for the possibility of creating organ tissue without the need for a complete human body.

Legal and social issues become complicated as well. Is a clone a whole individual or simply a legal extension of the DNA donor? Is the donor solely responsible for the welfare of the clone, including all liability of its actions? In the event of criminal activity, we would not be able to discern the DNA between a donor and a clone. Assuming a successful clone has the ability to think and process information as natural humans do, people would start competing for the same resources, be it jobs, housing, or otherwise. Religions may ostracize them as a soulless people, made outside of God's will.

There are no simple answers to these complex questions, but we must find the most comprehensible answers possible based on the information we have available. Cloning has the potential to cure many medical problems that have plagued humans for centuries, but at what cost to bear?

no bibliography req'd since it's from my head