Human Clonings

[hazirah]

Based on impact, human clonings had cause alot of controversy to the community.Is it logical to stop the scientists from continuing with their "human cloning" research despite the fact that some of the respondses on human clonings are not encouraging? Will human cloning ever be successful in the near future or will it be just scientists playing god to create something outstanding?

[RyanJ]

There are people who say it's acting god and that we have no right to attempt such things but I say that's a load of nonsense is animal cloning is permitted. The main reason its probably banned because it is somewhat immoral.

Due to the high failure rate of cloning experiments in larger organisms, various problems are caused and people would argue that we have no right to expose humans to this king of treatment.

[hazirah]

yup perhaps acting god is the correct terms to use...So what are the future plans for human cloning??? Any idea anyone???

[Sequence]

I think the technology would go in the direction of cloning organs. It makes no sense to clone a human just to send them out into the world. But, if we could succefully clone organs, the donor list becomes non-excistent.

[RyanJ]

I think the technology would go in the direction of cloning organs. It makes no sense to clone a human just to send them out into the world. But, if we could succefully clone organs, the donor list becomes non-excistent.

 

Actually given sufficient technological advances it may someday be possible to engineer a new body for a person and transplant their brain. Like I said this is a big maybe, science is nowhere close to that type of technology yet but I agree currently the only real use is for growing organs and this probably won't happen either unless its an emergency due to the dangers caused by the cloning its self. Eventually cloning will probably be superseded by stem cell research anyway as it doesn't have the problems associated with cloning

[Rhino]

Eventually cloning will probably be superseded by stem cell research anyway as it doesn't have the problems associated with cloning

 

I don't know about how it is in the UK, but here in the US cloning and stem cells have a very similar stigma attached to them. Stem cell research played a big roll in mid term elections here. Both of them have to get through that before their full potential will ever be realised.

[RyanJ]

I don't know about how it is in the UK, but here in the US cloning and stem cells have a very similar stigma attached to them. Stem cell research played a big roll in mid term elections here.

 

Pretty much the same here. I don't see why though because they are two very different processes and both have good and bad points too their uses, admittedly cloning probably has more disadvantages than using natural stem-cells (one being that when the DNA is incorporated into a cell to be cloned, the DNA is already old and damaged and so its actually older than it seems, this can cause problems later as a result).

 

I think the laws on this are justifiable to a point (as in cloning a human for the purpose of experimentation seems morally wrong.) but I do believe experiments with cloning of organs etc. should be permitted because of the massive positive implications it would have on medicine.

[Rhino]

I have a feeling it has to do with topics that would be better discussed in the P&R forum.

 

You say "cloning" and people think you are playing god.

 

You say "stem cells" and people think you are playing with aborted fetus material.

 

Those are the fears placed in people's heads by certain "organizations".

[SkepticLance]

Putting all the religious and pseudoreligious bulldust to the side, there are two very good reasons why human cloning is not a good idea.

 

1. There is a very high failure rate in all cloning. To get a single human clone, you would need perhaps 200 volunteer women to provide surrogate wombs. Of these, something like 199 would suffer miscarriages, and we all know how emotionally traumatic that is. In other words, attempts at cloning will carry a big cost in human suffering.

 

2. There is a very high deformity rate in clones. The one in 200 that actually gave rise to a viable human clone would likely have produced a human with serious health problems. This is another way to create human suffering.

 

Of course, advances in technology may solve both problems. If and when that happens, cloning will simply be another strategy to enable human reproduction.

[carol]

Yes, I agree. There is a high chance of failure in human cloning. One would take a lot of risk. In the future, this might me perfected. Still, a lot of people will object to it.

[RyanJ]

Of course, advances in technology may solve both problems. If and when that happens, cloning will simply be another strategy to enable human reproduction.

 

I'm not so sure about this one. Human cloning has one major flaw; its taking old DNA, possible with damage and treating it as if it were a newly formed DNA strand and this has severe implications. One of the proposed reasons for ageing is that when our cells undergo mitosis, segments at the very ends of the chromosomes, called sticky ends, are damaged or lost. Nobody is sure if this is the cause and if it is why it works because they appear to contain no useful data. If this is the case growing an embryo from old DNA is basically going to lead to premature ageing of the child, the child will be young but its DNA will be effectively as old as that of the parents.

 

Weather this can be fixed easily I don't know but I guess its possible given sufficient technology.

[Sequence]

A lot of the problems might be fixed with future technology. We don't have the tech now. We might in the future.

[EvoN1020v]

If the scientists continue with the clonings, they will try to make a "perfect world", whereas disability associations/organizations wouldn't be welcome anymore. Everyone who is perfect will compete to get the control of the world, because there is nothing else wrong to handle with. I'm deaf and blind myself, and the world wouldn't be an exciting place without disability people.

 

I know I'm deaf and blind but I am still taking Mechanical Engineering at University of New Brunswick. There's nothing that can stop me, and cloning "perfect" people is insulting to the disability community all over the world.

 

What do you guys think?

[weknowthewor]

Ya.. Human cloning is not the correct way out.. But to do it for what purpose? It's not a tp... so it is the topic to be thought of seriously...

[weknowthewor]

plz. reply..

[SkepticLance]

If you take a hard look at recent history, you will find that values change, and things that are 'just not done' later on become regarded as OK.

 

For example : In the 1950's the idea of artificial insemination for humans was anathema. However, there was a need for it, in some situations, and the human drive to have kids is very powerful. Today, AI for humans is quite acceptable.

 

Cloning will be the same. Right now, there are strong technical reasons for not doing it. However, technology moves on, and the time will come when human cloning will become as safe as IVF is today. When that happens, society will change to eventually accept it as a viable means of reproduction.

 

After all, the result of successful cloning is the same as any other successful reproduction. ie. a human baby.

[hazirah]

So the question is why bother cloning? I wonder if the benefits of cloning does really "benefits.'' Or are they just listing the benefits to cover up their multiple unsuccessful cloning...

[RyanJ]

I guess one "benefit" is research into how genes behave, what they do etc. another is to grow organs for transplants that won't require immunosuppressant drugs to stop it being rejected.

[SkepticLance]

Why bother cloning?

I can think of three reasons.

1. Research. The search for medical knowledge.

2. Therapy. If we clone stem cells from our own genetics, those stem cells (in theory at least) can be induced into growing into some part of our body that is diseased or defective, and cure an ill.

3. Reproduction. This is the one that gets the moralists most uptight. Not because there is anything wrong with the process (in theory) or even because, at present, it is not possible to do it without unacceptable negative problems of the human suffering kind. Not, they argue against it for emotional reasons. It is 'unnatural' and therefore must be wrong. I predict that this attitude will not survive the deaths of the current generations of moralists. Once it is technically possible to clone new babies without unacceptable problems, then it will become part of the range of reproductive technologies in use. This may take 100 years, but is inevitable.

[AzurePhoenix]

If the scientists continue with the clonings, they will try to make a "perfect world", whereas disability associations/organizations wouldn't be welcome anymore. Everyone who is perfect will compete to get the control of the world, because there is nothing else wrong to handle with. I'm deaf and blind myself, and the world wouldn't be an exciting place without disability people.

This just seems unreasonably paranoid to me, like when creationists say the theory of evolution was the direct cause of nazism. The idea of "perfection" and such is a very theological issue, a matter for zealots, not scientists. Would there be people who desire what you claim? Sure. But only individual, ideologically zealotous people.

 

And personally, I would have loved to have been born into an age even beyond cloning, where I was spliced with all sorts of neato traits and abilities from a variety of other species.

 

I know I'm deaf and blind but I am still taking Mechanical Engineering at University of New Brunswick. There's nothing that can stop me, and cloning "perfect" people is insulting to the disability community all over the world.

I don't see how medical advances with the potential to end certain dissabilities are insulting. It's not saying "there's something wrong with these people" or "these people are worth less," simply that "these dissabilities don't necessarily have to continue to plague people quite as they do today." But that is nothing like some world conspiracy to use cloning to wipe out the disabled themselves.

[hazirah]

I would like to know who invented cloning?Who started it and when? I cant seem to find a clear cut answer...maybe there is no clear cut answer?

 

Well to me god was the first one to invent a clone...that is twins of course.Who was the first human twins to live on earth anyway:confused:

[hazirah]

So is Cloning just something that genius work on or just plain mad scientists at experiment???

 

Cloning seems to be MISSING IN ACTION NOWADAYS...

[Senseless]

If the scientists continue with the clonings, they will try to make a "perfect world", whereas disability associations/organizations wouldn't be welcome anymore. Everyone who is perfect will compete to get the control of the world, because there is nothing else wrong to handle with. I'm deaf and blind myself, and the world wouldn't be an exciting place without disability people.

 

I know I'm deaf and blind but I am still taking Mechanical Engineering at University of New Brunswick. There's nothing that can stop me, and cloning "perfect" people is insulting to the disability community all over the world.

 

What do you guys think?

 

I am shocked and impressed by what you said about being Deaf and blind. My problem with your statement is not the fact that you are deaf, but for the fact that you are blind. How have you been taking care of yourself and my God, how are you reading the posts on this forum. I watched a film about a woman who was deaf and blind (a hindi movie called Black) but didn't believe there were people out there who fought hard through darkness to understand the things around them. If you are truely what you say you are... then you have my respect EvoN1020v.

[carol]

I would like to know who invented cloning?Who started it and when? I cant seem to find a clear cut answer...maybe there is no clear cut answer?

 

Well to me god was the first one to invent a clone...that is twins of course.Who was the first human twins to live on earth anyway:confused:

 

Good point. IMO cloning started after some progress in DNA technology. It started with the people's attempt to answer their "what if's". And then, they realized that it might just be the solution to most of our problems.