Cloning, Ethics and Life – Questions Unanswered [guest post]

Molecular biology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the last few decades – from a rudimentary technique that sought to understand the interactions between the different systems of a cell, this field has now become the pioneer of cloning and genetic engineering. As scientists seek to unlock the secrets of life and learn more about who we are at the very basic level – think about it as a child whose innate and intense sense of curiosity drives him or her to take apart a mechanical car and see what makes it work the way it does – they are probably delving deeper into murkier territory where the already thin line between what’s ethical and what’s not is pretty much invisible.



Cloning has already been tagged with a negative reputation, even though most people don’t really understand the technology or what it does, they’re quick to raise voices in judgment against it. Cloning in simple terms is this – an egg from a female donor is shorn of its nucleus and replaced with the one from the cell that has to be cloned; this cell belongs to the person who the clone will look like and resemble in all aspects. Once the fused cell begins to develop, it is transferred to a surrogate womb through IVF, the standard procedure that’s used to treat infertile couples.

The problem with this technique is that it gives rise to the potential for misuse – besides the fact that many hundreds of embryos will be killed to ensure one successful clone, the body formed could be subject to various mutations, both physical and mental. There is a very low possibility for a normal child. Also, imagine if cloning was successful and possible – some people say it could be used for organ donation when siblings or parents need blood matches; but this also opens up the possibility of a rampant organ black market. There are various other concerns with these being just the tip of the iceberg.

For cloning to be accepted as an ethical and legal procedure, its uses have to be medical and curative instead of leaning towards cosmetic and extraneous. It should serve to save lives, not kill a thousand embryos in order to create one human being just for the sake of vanity or as a status symbol in the form of a designer baby.

However, the danger with cloning and other similar technology is that even though legal guidelines are established and enforced, it is pretty near impossible to retreat from advancement once you see a light beckoning at the other end of the tunnel. You know that the tunnel is dark and fraught with dangers, yet you have to try and uncover the secrets it holds, if only to show that they are achievable and viable, that they are practical and not just conjecture or theory. The thing with technology is that once something new is perfected, there’s just no stopping at that point much less turning back – you’ve surely opened the door to newer technologies that are definitely going to be more controversial and worrying.

This guest post is contributed by Kathy Wilson, who writes on the topic of x ray technician school programs . She welcomes your comments at her email id: kathywilson1983@gmail.com