Therapeutic cloning is replicating cells and tissue to use for medical purposes. This type of cloning is very controversial and individuals feel strongly on both sides of this issue. The medical use of replicated cells and body tissue are wide ranging and include organ growth and scientific research. Therapeutic cloning is so controversial, because it is tied to ethical issues that are connected to life and death. To get a better understanding of therapeutic cloning, you must be more informed about the pros and cons of this medical advancement.
Con: Embryo Use
Embryos are often used for therapeutic cloning, because they have the ability to transform and grow into any type of organ and cell. This offers incredible lifesaving possibilities, but it also calls into question a matter of ethics. Many are opposed to therapeutic cloning because it involves the use of embryos, which some equate to be living.
Con: Low Success Rates
Many scientific researches against therapeutic cloning suggest that it is not very successful. Many of the cells that are cloned develop very serious defects. This is seen to defeat the purpose of growing new cells. If the cells simply become defective and die there is no real benefit gained.
Although some are against therapeutic cloning for many different reasons, there are some benefits that can be gained.
Pro: Organ Rejection is Reduced
Patients that receive organ transplants are often faced with high percentages of rejection. However. Therapeutic cloning reduces the risk of rejection due to the fact that the new organs are created using the patient’s own cells. This means that organ transplants can be more successful if therapeutic cloning continues to be used. The effectiveness will only increase as more cell and organ cloning research is obtained.
Pro: Research Potential
The main benefit of therapeutic cloning might actually be for research. It is possible to gain a better understanding of birth defects and cancer from better understanding all the intricate details of therapeutic cloning. Treating serious conditions can be made more effective by simply gaining more research that comes from this type of medical cloning.
The issues associated with therapeutic cloning will never fully be settled, but it is important to understand both the pros and cons of this issue. It allows you to evaluate therapeutic cloning with a more neutral starting point and not get completely caught up in the ethical issues that exist.
