One of the great ethical debates of our era is the subject of human cloning. Cloning technology is already here, as evidenced by Dolly the sheep. Human cloning creates questions about the soul, the role of God in society, and even the quality of life that a cloned person would have. In return, however, the advantages of cloning are also quite apparent: human cloning could very well lead to faster medical cures, a better overall quality of life, and even longer life spans.
Would human cloning help society at large? Is it ethically questionable to clone humans in order to create new life?
The Pros of Human Cloning
Here are the primary benefits to the science of human cloning:
Defective genes could be eliminated. Genetic illnesses are not a leading killer of people today, but they could be in the near future. As humans continually reproduce, damage to their DNA lines increases. This creates mutations and defective genes, but these could be eliminated thanks to the cloning of healthy human cells.
Faster recovery from traumatic injury. From the professional athlete who tears their ACL to the person who becomes a quadriplegic because of a devastating automobile accident, recovery times could be lowered and true healing could occur thanks to the cloning of their own cells to help the recovery process.
Infertility could be eliminated. Though infertility treatments today are somewhat successful, imagine being able to take cloned cells to create a younger twin of a mother or father? This would create the opportunity for an infertile couple to experience the joys of having a family without enduring the painful infertility procedures that are common today.
The Cons of Human Cloning
Here are the primary issues associated with human cloning:
There is a possibility of faster aging. Because an older cell is often being used to create a human clone, there is the possibility that this imprinted age could be placed on the growing embryo. This would then create premature aging issues and potentially even premature death, all because of the cloning process.
There is a reduced sense of individuality. Though a human clone would undoubtedly be a brand new life with unique preferences, there would still be a potential loss of individuality because a clone is simply a twin of someone else, no matter what the age of that other person may be.
It may reduce the overall value of human life. With cloning, there is a real possibility that humans would become more of a commodity than an individual. If you don’t like the child you’ve got, then just go clone another one and get it perfect the next time around. It could also create new societal divisions, where perfected clones may be treated differently than naturally made humans.
How Do You Feel About Human Cloning?
The science of human cloning continues to develop and it will not be long before technology will make this a reality. Do humans have a soul? Would this soul be lost during the cloning process? Is this humanities’ way of trying to replace God? The debate about human cloning is ongoing – how do you feel about the subject?
