Sean Patrick
Ryan
ASC 128
Oral Write Up
January 25,
2001
Animal
Cloning
Cloning is one
of the most widely spread “hot topic” issues of the new millennium. There are many different views on the matter,
all dealing with the justifiability of cloning, and how far it should go. Religious overtones are common, as well as
ethical concerns. It is an issue that
is getting more and more attention, as the science of cloning is further
perfected. In order to appropriately
discuss the idea of cloning, it is first necessary to understand what the word
‘clone’ means.
Animal cloning
taken under context of this definition would be the creation of a new genetic
replica of an original animal. And
basically, that is what it is all about.
Animal cloning is making a biological copy of another organism with the
identical genetic makeup of the founding individual. Natural examples of
cloning include identical twins and organisms such as bacteria, yeast, and some
snail and shrimp species that reproduce by cloning. Cloning is accomplished through a process called nuclear
transfer. Researchers remove an unfertilized oocyte (egg cell) from an adult
female and replace its nucleus with the nucleus of an adult mammary, fibroblast
or other cell type. The egg is then implanted in another adult female for
normal gestation and delivery.
The process
explained there is much “easier said than done.” To actually clone a living thing is a complicated procedure that
is not only confusing, but also mesmerizing at the same time. The following few pages will go over the
procedure in detail. It is
mind-boggling however, that such a complex procedure which produces life,
starts out with the simple requirement of a petri dish.
Once you are
able to understand how the clones are created, you can then look deeper into
the issue, and question why there would be any interest, or even a need, as to
why we would want to clone animals. The
reasons supporting this endeavor are as many as the reasons that are against
cloning.
As far as the
proponent reasons, the most widely believed reason has to deal with getting the
ball rolling into other endeavors (i.e.:
human cloning). It is believed
that marijuana is the gateway drug into the regular use of more harmful
drugs. Such is true of animal
cloning. It is believed by the majority
of society who is opposed to cloning, that animal cloning is simply the start
of something more. Some people are
skeptical to agree with the benefits of animal cloning based upon the fact that
they do not want it to lead to human cloning.
However, science has to start somewhere in order to learn more and
perfect its practice.
Some other
benefits of animal testing include the hopes that cloning research will help
contribute to disease treatment by allowing scientists to reprogram cells. It is also believed that through cloning,
organ transplantation may become a more successful process. This would be a miraculous improvement in
the healthcare industry. Imagine how
beneficial it could be if humans could learn how to harvest organs that are
considered rare, ultimately making them impossible to obtain for those in
desperate need. This alone, is a strong
supporter for the cloning cause. It is
a hard aspect to argue, since so many people have been affected by someone who,
at one point needed a transplant, but was not able to get one, and risked their
health based upon the scarcity of an organ.
With all of
these rewards of cloning, it may be seen as a “win-win” situation. However, there are ethical concerns on
animal cloning that instigate the justifiability of using animals in such
research and scientific experiments.
Since there are two sides to every story, it is important to understand
some of the moral concerns that are stirred up by animal cloning.
Is animal
cloning unethical? If an ethical case
can be made in favor of Roslin's limited and indirect application of cloning,
it is a different matter to apply cloning directly in routine animal
production, to accelerate or side-step natural methods. For many, this would be
unjustifiable, quite apart from the welfare concerns. What's the problem, you
might ask, since we already intervene in nature in selective breeding, and use
methods like artificial insemination and embryo transfer? If there was a clear
benefit to the farmer to start off with prime stock, to produce the best beef
or pork, this might seem to have its attractions. But the answer might lie in a
wider question about where we have reached in our human use of animals.
One such
answer could result from the question of whether or not cloning takes away an
animal’s rights. Even more basic, it
challenges us to determine whether or not an animal has rights to begin with. Since there is no possible way to
communicate with animals, no one can be certain if they approve of being used
in such “benefit-to-society” experiments.
It is vital to realize that there will be an animal that will “crack the
code” and unravel all the mysteries to this new science. But little is said of the animals prior to
those, who were used to further the efforts of science, but were harmed, maimed
or even killed.
Once that is
in mind, you can also investigate if cloning exploits animals that possess desirable
traits for research. If you are an
animal rights’ activist, or an avid animal lover, this statement would act as
your direct quote. The issue of
permission from the animal in question comes into play again. Humans conduct their experiments, and just
take the understanding of consent as common knowledge. The animal is given no consideration. Cloning is seen by some to be just another
means of keeping animals unjustly enslaved and subjected to pain for selfish
human purposes.
Religious
leaders voice mixed reactions to the news of recent animal cloning activities,
and how it relates to cloning humans.
Contrary to what many people think about religious views and cloning,
the statement preceding holds true. It
is considered to be morally “right” for an animal to be used as the subject to
experiments if its purpose is to benefit the health and well being of man
kind. This is not to be misconstrued
however. It is not acceptable for the
scientific studies of cloning to proceed and culminate in the making of
identical “new” human beings. The
consent of the church is given to the aspects of animal cloning that will
directly benefit the human race. One
such example can be taken from the benefits discussed previously. The ideas of harvesting organs to be used
for life-saving transplants is a practice that is designed to promote and
sustain current life, not to generically duplicate it for personal gain.
Future
research in general may benefit from cloning.
Animals can be cloned, especially for research. Genetically identical animals would reduce
variability in experiments.
Consequently, scientists would then need fewer animals for an
experiment. Recently, scientists at the
University of Hawaii have developed a new cloning technique that has proved to
be more reliable than the method used to create Dolly. Three generations of genetically identical
cloned laboratory mice have been produced, indicating that cloning will be an
indispensable tool to the research biologist in the future.
With the advancements
of cloning in mind, people can discover the numerous possibilities of cloning
in the future. Although there are many
debates over the ethics of cloning and its future, there are beneficial uses of
cloning. These uses include bringing
animals back from extinction, such as the Wooly Mammoth; repopulating
endangered species, such as the Bald Eagle; creating organs for transplants
through donor pigs with human DNA; producing medicine through the milk of
cloned animals, and other endless possibilities.
Animal cloning
based on the information provided in this paper, is indeed a very controversial
issue. The thought of “creating a
pre-existing” life form is an intriguing idea for not only the everyday person,
but for scientists as well. The idea is
so intriguing that it stirs up many emotions, both for and against the
science. These emotions lead to ethical
considerations, which challenge the very basic idea behind cloning. The question that remains for the individual
asks him/her to weigh the advantages that are possible with cloning, with the
means that are necessary to further the science.
1. Clone,
Gina Bari Kolata, Morrow, William & Co., 1997
2. Cloning
and the Constitution, Ira H. Carmen, The University of Wisconsin Press,
1985.
3. Cloning
of Frogs, Mice, and Other Animals, Robert G. McKinnell, University of
Minnesota Press, 1979.
4. Gene
Cloning and Manipulation, Christopher Howe, Cambridge University Press,
1995.
5. Understanding
DNA and Gene Cloning, Karl Drlica, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1992.
Sources/Websites
1. Anunson, Mark, Dan Baker, and Josh Cracraft.
"The Gene School - Cloning." Retrieved, from the World Wide Web: http://hyperion.advanced.org/19037/clone.html
2. Beardsley, Tim.
"A Clone in Sheep's Clothing." Scientific American. March 1997. Retrieved
from the World Wide Web: http://www.sciam.com/explorations/030397clone/030397beards.html
I found this
assignment to be very enlightening. I
was so interesting in learning about cloning, that it didn’t seem like
schoolwork. I enjoyed sharing what I
learned with the class also. I was not
only able to brush up on my power point skills, but I was also able to work on
my public speaking.
I was very
happy with the comments I received. I
felt a warm reception from the entire class.
Not only were my written comments so flattering, but I was given so many
personal “face-to-face” comments as well.
I was also
able to take note of areas that I can still improve upon. One of them being the rate at which I
presented the oral. I have always had a
tendency to rush through my material in fear of it becoming boring to the group
I present it to. However I did receive
a couple comments on how my presentation would have been improved if I were to
have slowed down.
After all my
research I realize that I do support cloning.
Especially when it comes to dealing with improving the life of
humans. This is directly related to
quality life, and how it eliminates the wait for organs for life-saving
surgeries.
The following
are the results I received from the in-class survey I conducted:
13 people
participated, and all votes were accounted for.
In your own
opinion, do you support the cloning of animals?
What if the
cloning was to further promote research of life-saving medicines for humans?
Would you
consider having an animal to human organ transplant if you so needed it?
To my surprise, the class was significantly divided up in
their opinions with cloning of animals.
Although the majority did support it, there is a large portion that was
against.