Cloning How Far Will it Go

A detailed Summary of Cloning How Far Will it Go

Everyday people find themselves at a crossroads that requires a decision as to which path to follow. In the past few years, scientists have gained knowledge about cloning that could impact our lives for centuries to come. As a society we are at a crossroads and we will have to decide how to use this knowledge. Will we choose to increase our power over nature or will we develop a partnership? There are many benefits of cloning, but do they outweigh the possibility of losing genetic diversity, facing genetic discrimination, and the scary consequences portrayed in science fiction books like Brave New World and 1984, and movies like Gattaca and Planet of the Apes.

?Cloning is the production of a genetically identical duplicate of an organism? (Hawley 1). In a sense, many plants, algae, unicellular organisms, and even humans naturally produce identical offspring. For example, the dandelion reproduces asexually to create a copy of itself. As a species it has reached a plateau and can no longer progress. Within the human species, identical twins are essentially clones. The division of the embryo produces two embryos with the exact same genetic information. The consequence of a species only pr

Hawley, Aaron. ?Cloning.? http://members.tripod.com/~cloning/cloning.txt

The movie Gattaca, reveals the possibility of cloning causing a division in society based upon the method of birth; natural versus genetically cloned. The natural born, Ethan Hawke, is considered weak and unintelligent. The moment he was conceived he was demarcated to a life as a janitor. On the other hand, his brother, whose genes were specifically chosen by his parents is destined for success. It would be unrighteous to eliminate the possibility of climbing to the top of society?s ladder by shackling people to the lower class based on genes. Genes don?t tell the whole story because if they did then identical twins would have the same personality, intelligence, and, of course, the same chance for success. It is obvious that the environment one lives in, significantly affects the road they will travel through life. Do we want a society in which genes dictate all that one is allowed to achieve? This would mean a society in which people were ?shackled by their pedigree? (Teich 313). Also, how does responsibility relate to one?s actions. If genes are used to determine how successful one will be, then why can?t someone say that it wasn?t his fault that he murdered a person, it was his bad genes that caused him to do it? The complexities of human life would be lost if we allowed genes to determine one?s ability to succeed, instead of allowing personality traits like leadership, spunk, and passion to be the key to achieving success.

It appears that we as a society need to be reminded that just because we have the ability to do something, doesn't mean that we should or that the results will be positive. It is human nature to want to discover new things. Discoveries can lead to progress or regression, depending on who controls the information. Cloning, if used properly, can be effective in enhancing human life, but in the wrong hands cloning may lead to the destruction of humanity as we know it today. Cloning has the potential to be far more significant that the development of the atomic bomb ? a tool that we knew how to make, but many people expressed concern about its development. And now we must live everyday knowing we killed millions of innocent people. It will be important that we use this knowledge about cloning in a way that ?cherishes our human ability to transcend biology, that enshrines our spontaneity, unpredictability, and individual uniqueness? (Teich 313).

Now consider the possible problems and ethical issues that could arise from cloning. Scientists are working to discover new techniques to improve human life, but will these techniques be misused and who determines how they are used in the first place? A commonly discussed issue of cloning is if we are ?playing God.? The knowledge of cloning allows us to intervene with nature more than ever thought possible. In

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Approximate Word count = 1951
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science