Cloning Benefits: Medical Advances and Animal Conservation

Arguments for Cloning

Argument 1: Medical Benefits

Cloning offers numerous advantages, including rejuvenation, reversing heart attacks, and treating infertility. It also has applications in plastic, reconstructive, and cosmetic surgery. Furthermore, cloning can help eliminate defective genes and provide other significant benefits by enabling scientists to create or remove new cells.

Argument 2: Stem Cell Applications

Stem cells, which are undifferentiated cells capable of becoming any cell type, are crucial for cloning. They accelerate the process of finding donors for patients. For instance, if a patient requires new skin cells due to severe burns, doctors can clone stem cells to generate the necessary skin cells, greatly aiding recovery.

Argument 3: Therapeutic Cloning and Donor Compatibility

Cloned human embryos that do not divide sufficiently to produce therapeutic stem cells could theoretically serve as perfect donors for patients. This is because the patient's body would be less likely to reject the cloned cells, as they originate from the patient themselves.

Argument 4: Reproductive Cloning for Families

Cloning can assist infertile parents or those who have lost a child by enabling them to have a child or a clone of their lost child. It can also help parents whose child is ill by creating a clone of that child. This clone could then donate blood, skin cells, or other tissues to help the sick child recover.

Argument 5: Industrial and Environmental Applications

In Montreal, a herd of 50 cloned sheep produces milk containing a gene for spider silk. This silk has potential uses in creating materials like bulletproof vests. This technology can be applied to various animals to produce beneficial substances for the environment and humanity. Cloning can also aid in conserving endangered animals by removing disadvantages and adapting them to different climates, especially crucial for species in threatened forest habitats.

Argument 6: Ethical Considerations and Regulations

Cloning can be considered ethical, particularly under Canadian guidelines that permit it under specific rules. These guidelines state that human embryos cannot be used after 14 days post-fertilization. Scientists can then utilize cells from these early-stage embryos for cloning research and practice.