Cloning Human Being

(1997) At a laboratory in Scotland, a sheep named Dolly has turned science fiction into science fact. The sheep is cloned, an exact replica of its mother. Born without any input whatsoever from a male. And the next step is the big one, a cloned human. It was reported that there are doctors who are willing, able and ready to take that step and turn a tiny cell into an exact, living replica of the person from whom the cell was taken. This scariest of scenarios has, of course, brought howls of outrage. As one ethicist puts it: ‘What happens to identity? What happens to personality? What happens to teenage rebellion when you’re rebelling against yourself? Children won’t just take after a parent. They will be that parent’.

The proposal to enhance the human genetic endowment by genetic cloning of eminent individuals is not warranted. Genomes can be cloned; individuals cannot. In the future, therapeutic cloning will bring enhanced possibilities for organ transplantation, nerve cells and tissue healing, and other health benefits. What is your opinion on cloning human being? Discuss why it should or shouldn’t be done considering the socio,bio and ethical factors.

Genetics and Genes