Human Cloning
...ds of people die waiting for transplants, so this could save many lives. In addition, the organs used in the transplant could come from the same patient, reducing the risk of rejection by the body (Masci 414). To treat heart attack victims, doctors could clone healthy heart cells and inject them into damaged areas of the heart (Masci 415). Nerves and spinal cord could be grown, giving quadriplegics the ability to walk again (Human Cloning Foundation). One more benefit, according to Dr. Richard Seed, a leader in the push for human cloning, is that scientists may someday be able to reverse the aging process. Drawbacks There are also many reasons not to clone. One argument is that it is not necessary for bone marrow transplant because bone marrow can already be harvested and grown in a dish (Masci 415). One drawback is the possibility of mutation. An abnormal baby could result from mutated genes (Global Change.com). Another drawback is the possibility of emotional problems. A clone could have a hard time establishing his or her identity (Global Change.com). Karen Rothenberg of the University of Maryland School of Law at Baltimore says that "While I feel unique if I have a twin sister, I do not if I have fifty or one hundred. I no longer understand myself as a creation, but as a copy" (Masci 413). Rothenberg goes on to say that cloning would challenge "concepts basic to our humanness." She says that cloning would eliminate our need for reproduction (Masci 414), which, in a sense, makes us less human. One religious argument against cloning is the thought of "Playing God." Munawar Ahmad Anees, an Islamic scholar, says that "The human body is God's property, not man's laboratory" (Masci 414-415). By this he means that we should not be experimenting with our bodies the way we do. He says that the body should only be reproduced by sexual reproduction (Masci 414-415). There are many conflicting opinions on the subject of cloning. Opponents of cloning say that it is not natural, while the supporters point out that neither is driving a computer, flying an airplane, or using a computer. Many of our modern conveniences are not natural, but that does not necessarily make them wrong. Opponents also say that a clone would have no individuality that it would be no more that a "carbon copy." Supporters argue that clones would have different personalities that were shaped by their environments and experiences (Dunn). One of the most significant arguments in favor of human cloning is that children who need bone marrow or organ transplants could clone themselves and be provided with a matching donor. This seems like a good idea, as it would increase the chance for a compatible donor from approximately 25% to almost 100%. Most experts agree, however, that if a child sensed that he had been created for the sole purpose of providing organs or tissues for someone else, it would be psychologically harmful to him (Herbert). It is possible the cloned child would be well cared for, but not well loved (Kluger). Experts also worry that the child would lack a sense of free will and question his own self-identity. If the child felt obligated to follow in the older sibling's footsteps, it would be an offense against the individual dignity of a person ("DFG"). The possibility for couples to overcome infertility also makes human cloning appealing to some. For instance, if the man were infertile, the couple could choose to clone one of themselves, rather than to involve another man or to adopt a child (Herbert). Father Richard McCormick, a Jesuit priest at the University of Notre Dame insists that, "Infertility is not an absolute evil that justifies doing any and everything to overcome it" (Woodward). Ethicists agree that adult cloning is "bizarre . . . narcissistic and ethically impoverished." Adults who raise themselves would be raising children who are also their twins. The words "mother" and "father" would no longer fit the traditional meaning; under normal circumstances, each parent supplies half of the DNA in an offspring, but this would no longer be the case with cloning. Instead, words like "original" and "copy" would have to be used. Ethicists say that this confusion would "jeopardize our very sense of who's who ...