Cloning Questions. Please help! Big Dilemma

[sellers04]

I am currently a junior enrolled in High School and had a school project on cloning. I wrote up ten interview questions and contacted a local Medical college and got in touch with a cloning expert. I e-mailed him the questions but recieved no response. That was two weeks ago and now I am without answers to these questions and at the edge of the due date. Quick Responses please! If you could please take the time to answer some/all of my questions it would be immensely appreciated

1. In your own words could you please describe the cloning process. What does the cloning process involve?

 

2. How difficult is it to successfully clone someone? Does it become more difficult to clone humans? How long?

 

3. Dolly was the first successfully cloned mammal. How was this accomplishment perceived in the scientific community?

 

4. Cloning doesn’t only refer to reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning may be extremely beneficial in the future to combat disease. Do you see this type of cloning more beneficial than reproductive? Does therapeutic still have its ethical problems?

 

5. Chinese studies revealed that cloned mice have a weaker immune system and have a shorter lifespan. If this cannot be changed does reproductive cloning still have it’s value?

 

6. Studies revealed that human beings normally have eight defective genes. Do you think it would be unethical to eliminate these genes to create the “perfect person”?

 

7. Is the cloning process resource intensive? Does it require large sums of money?

 

8. The value of stem cells is known, but ethical problems stop us from further research. What do you have to say to people that are against the further study of stem cells?

 

9. If cloning was industrialized what would be required? Science fiction books such as Brave New World exemplify humans being made rather than born. Would this be a future worth pursing? Could we avoid the pitfalls displayed in science fiction stories?

 

10. How do you respond to ethical concerns on human cloning?

 

Thank you so much if you decide to help me!

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[Mr Skeptic]

I am currently a junior enrolled in High School and had a school project on cloning. I wrote up ten interview questions and contacted a local Medical college and got in touch with a cloning expert. I e-mailed him the questions but recieved no response. That was two weeks ago and now I am without answers to these questions and at the edge of the due date. Quick Responses please! If you could please take the time to answer some/all of my questions it would be immensely appreciated

1. In your own words could you please describe the cloning process. What does the cloning process involve?

 

For many plants and a few animals like sponges, the cloning process involves cutting a piece off with a knife. Some plants, like commercial bananas, are produced almost exclusively via cloning. In the very early stages of development (only a few cells), cloning can be done by separating the cells, essentially creating twins.

 

Otherwise, you need an egg, the haploid nucleus is extracted from the egg and replaced with the diploid nucleus from a cell of the animal to be cloned, the egg is zapped to simulate fertilization, and then you hope for the best. Don't be surprised at success ratios of 1%.

 

2. How difficult is it to successfully clone someone? Does it become more difficult to clone humans? How long?

 

You can't clone "someone" as in a person. The cloning process will only create someone who is slightly less similar than an identical twin. Differences are due to having different epigenetics (patterns of gene activation not coded in the DNA) and different mitochondria (unless the egg is from the person being cloned, and of course there's also the age difference. The clone will have none of the knowledge of the person it was cloned from. Cloning humans to my knowledge has not yet been done successfully.

 

3. Dolly was the first successfully cloned mammal. How was this accomplishment perceived in the scientific community?

 

A success, and the birth of a new technique.

 

4. Cloning doesn’t only refer to reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning may be extremely beneficial in the future to combat disease. Do you see this type of cloning more beneficial than reproductive? Does therapeutic still have its ethical problems?

 

I personally have no qualms about harming a creature without a nervous system, even if it is human, especially if there is a benefit to humans. However, normally stem cells are gathered from waste blastocysts that would otherwise be destroyed, whereas if it were cloned for that very purpose some might see it as worse. So I'd say slightly worse ethical problems for those who consider it an ethical problem.

 

5. Chinese studies revealed that cloned mice have a weaker immune system and have a shorter lifespan. If this cannot be changed does reproductive cloning still have it’s value?

 

Yes. Some animals used for breeding purposes are valued largely for their genetics, which cloning can copy. Cloning techniques may allow the revival of extinct or endangered species. As a reproductive strategy for humans, I disapprove of it, even without the extra dangers. We do need genetic diversity.

 

6. Studies revealed that human beings normally have eight defective genes. Do you think it would be unethical to eliminate these genes to create the “perfect person”?

 

For most people there is little or no harm in them. If they caused a genetic disease, then definitely getting rid of them would be a good thing.

 

7. Is the cloning process resource intensive? Does it require large sums of money?

 

Yes and yes. It is very inefficient, and human eggs don't come cheap.

 

8. The value of stem cells is known, but ethical problems stop us from further research. What do you have to say to people that are against the further study of stem cells?

 

I and many others consider personhood to depend on the information contained in the brain. We have no qualms about terminating a body who's brain has been irreparably damaged (brain dead) since we consider the person already dead. Likewise, we have no qualms about terminating a bunch of cells with no brain, especially if it will help a person. Some people say they value "potential people" but then they tell their daughters not to have a child out of wedlock, which also prevents potential people.

 

9. If cloning was industrialized what would be required? Science fiction books such as Brave New World exemplify humans being made rather than born. Would this be a future worth pursing? Could we avoid the pitfalls displayed in science fiction stories?

 

It would require a much more efficient process, and also an artificial womb. You don't have to worry about this for quite some time.

 

10. How do you respond to ethical concerns on human cloning?

 

I would focus on the potential harm done to the child. The cloning process as we have it now is a brute force ugly approach. It is little different than drinking and taking various drugs while pregnant.