Science Fiction Turns Reality
Hundreds of movies and books are based on the fear for clones. In 1997 "Dolly," the first cloned mammal, was created and no longer was cloning considered Science Fiction. "The public responses to Dolly the sheep varied but, from President Clinton down, there was almost universal agreement that such a thing must never be allowed to happen to humans"(Dawkins 54). Human cloning stirs up the controversy between what is right, what is wrong, and where should society draw the line (Elmer-Dewitt 1). There are arguments for both sides but the con position is considerably stronger. People believe cloning humans is religiously wrong, would diminish the worth and respect of human life, and the medical risks are too high. Where in any religious documentation does it state: "thou shall not clone"(Elmer-Dewitt 4)? The truth is, cloning is not mentioned in any religious document. To have a religious argument against cloning, people had to read between the lines. According to Paul Ramsey, a board member on the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC), "cloning humans would express the sin of pride or hubris"(166). The Roman Catholic Church also agrees with this idea and furthers the argument say
Richard Nicholson of the British Bulletin of Medical Ethics said, "cloning may well be sowing the seeds of our destruction"("Human Cloning: Ethical Aspects" 2/2). The world of medicine is changing every day. In laboratories across the world, new experiments are being tried and risks are being taken. Alison Taunton-Rigby, Ph.D., a member of Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) said, "this technology is not currently safe to use on humans"(Nader 29). This can be backed by research performed by BIO. Through this research BIO found that when cells are subjected to harmful radiation and chemicals used by scientists, the cell goes through several mutations, which are not constant or predictable (Nader). Nader stated that the chances of "mutation increases with each replication of a cell"(28). Mutations are very unpredictable and may do not happen at an early stage of life, some mutations could occur when a clone ages. Other medical risks could include the psychological effects placed upon clones. Naussbaum cites an article written by JD Rainer from The Journal of Values and Ethics in Health Care, saying: Human cloning up until the last few years has been considered science fiction. Now there is this new technology that would make cloning humans a reality in years to come. The common agreement in people is human cloning causes "uneasiness and even revulsion"(Naussbaum 161). Over half the world believes that cloning goes against their religion; people's self-value and uniqueness would be put to the test and the respect for human lif
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Approximate Word count = 1048
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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