1500 Words on Human and Therapeutic Cloning. Germany in Armin Meiwes, a computer technician and all-around nice guy, posted an ad

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1 De La Espriella 1 Luis De La Espriella Daniel Richards ENC July Words on Human and Therapeutic Cloning The law not being clear on a subject can turn out to be quite interesting as was the case in Germany in Armin Meiwes, a computer technician and all-around nice guy, posted an ad on a website saying that he was looking for someone who was willing to be consumed by Meiwes (Clifton). Bernd-Jurgen Brandes answered the call and with full consent given, Meiwes killed and ate the guy. With no laws pertaining to cannibalism, German prosecutors had no basis on which to put him in jail, except for manslaughter. After a few trials, he was put in jail for life because Brandes was determined to be unable to give consent on the grounds that he was intoxicated when he gave Meiwes the green light, but not for cannibalism since there was no law against it. In contrast with Germany, the U.S. government has no national law allowing or prohibiting human, or reproductive, cloning (Kendall). Although 15 states such as Arkansas, Indiana, and Iowa have state laws prohibiting any kind of human cloning, there is no law on a national scale that prohibits this action (NCSL). Countries like Portugal and France have already banned reproductive cloning at a national level, but proposed federal laws have failed multiple times throughout the years in the U.S. We have both sides of the fence here as the House of Representatives approved the bill multiple times, but the Senate denied it. Human cloning advocates have plenty of favorable reasons as to why it should be both legal and sought after. Some of these reasons include curing infertility, which, in the U.S. alone, affects 10 percent of individuals within reproductive age (DicoveryHealth). Through the use of a

2 De La Espriella 2 process known as reproductive cloning, an infertile man can have sperm cloned and the undamaged sperm used. Likewise, an infertile woman can have an egg cloned and the fertile egg used for conception (Lovell). The best part about this premise is that it also applies to lesbian and gay couples since they will be able to have their own genetically identical offspring. Another great reason is the ability for this science to take us a step closer to immortality. For this to occur, there are really two options: one can have their DNA revert to what it was like when they were 20 years old (or whatever age they chose), or by going through a brain transplant into the body of their clone (Khamrao). By reversing the aging process of human DNA, we may be able to live forever by simply repeating the process every time it is required. The process of a brain transplant is not limited to aging alone, but also it applies to those who have damaged their bodies (accidentally or not) enough to no longer be able to sustain life. Reproductive cloning does not stop at simply offering a new alternative to infertile couples, but it could literally bring a lost child back to life. In 1996, Dolly the sheep came to being thanks to the ingenuity and perseverance of a group of Scottish scientists. Although Dolly looked like any other ordinary Finn Dorset lamb, she was actually the most famous clone in history to this day (Cloning). Although sheep do not usually have much sentimental value to people, dogs and cats on the other hand do in fact have a special place in our hearts. For about $150,000, the Korean company RNL Bio will clone your deceased companion in their state-of-the-art laboratories (Hatton). The chances of success are currently 25%, but you do not have to pay until you receive your new dog. But again, the sentimental value of a dog is nothing compared to that of, say, a lost child. The son of Thomas Romulus died at a mere 11 years of age in an off-road ATV accident (Romulus). Not only was this his only child, but his wife cannot bear any children and his ex-wife undoubtedly misses

3 De La Espriella 3 their child as well. With the permission of furthering cloning technologies, Thomas grief could be limited by the reincarnation of his lost child. In the cloning of Dolly, only one of 277 attempts was successful (Cloning). Even though cloning may have its benefits, the road to get there is a very rocky one. Many different complications may arise from cloning such as Large Offspring Syndrome (LOS) which could lead to breathing and blood flow problems; those without LOS can [develop] kidney or brain malformations and impaired immune systems, which can cause problems later in life (Genetic). Dolly also suffered from having shorter telomere in chromosomes. Telomere is a very important part of chromosomes since without telomeres, chromosome ends could fuse together and degrade the cell's genetic blueprint, making the cell malfunction, become cancerous or die (Genetic). In other words, not only do telomeres prevent the premature aging of cells, which is crucial for not aging as a whole, but shorter telomere can cause cells to die prematurely and perhaps even cause cancer in the being. Even if the art of cloning is mastered in animals other than humans, there is definitely no guarantee that it will work on humans using the same methods. Because cloning is the exact DNA copy of the original, cloning a human being does not ensure diversity nor does it ensure survival for our species. Genetic variation within our species ensures that traits such as resistance to disease get passed on to our future generations thereby increasing their chances of survival. Human cloning would mean that the same genes would keep getting passed on without any variation and we would be left with an Earth full of, diseased, ticking time-bombs waiting to eradicate humanity off the face of the Earth; however, genetic variation prevents this by ensuring that there is enough diversity within a species for at least some of the population to survive. This scenario may never occur, but what is a reality is overpopulation. Although the Earth may be able to support a human population of over 100

4 De La Espriella 4 billion if every country worked at its maximum capacity, let s face it, it s not going to happen. With higher population comes more disease and famine, but luckily, nature has some really messed up ways to keep itself in line and one of them is infertility. Along with natural disasters and predators (not that we have any), infertility is a great way for nature to control the size of all kinds of populations. The legalization of reproductive cloning would not be favorable in not only a natural aspect, but in an ethical and legal aspect as well. Consider the following questions: Will the clones be treated as free men (or free women) or slaves? Will they have the same rights are normal humans? What will happen if they are sick or defective? Human rights are a growing issue all over the world, including in the countries that could have the technology to clone humans. Human cloning would add on to the pile of problems associated with human rights, or the lack thereof. Don t get me wrong, cloning does have its benefits. As much as I d like to bring my cat back to life, I would much rather have the peace of mind knowing that if my aging father suffers from heart failure, a genetically identical heart could be waiting for him at the hospital thus increasing his chances of survival. I may not be a supporter of reproductive cloning, but therapeutic cloning is something with which I can definitely comply. Therapeutic cloning is a growing science which has the same initial process as reproductive cloning: take out the nucleus from an ovum, extract DNA from human tissue, insert DNA into ovum, and give it a little electric shock, creating a pre-embryo (Robinson). The main difference between these two types of cloning is that instead of growing an entire human, the stem-cell, which grows after the shock, is removed from the pre-embryo. The stem cell would then be encouraged to grow into whatever tissue or organ is needed to treat the patient at which point, the said organ would be implanted into the patient (Religious). Therapeutic cloning

5 De La Espriella 5 virtually erases the risk of the body rejecting the organ and all of the problems that come with it, such as internal infection and death. This type of cloning can help save the lives of over 72,000 active waiting list organ transplant candidates (UNOS). Although the death of these candidates may count as natural population control, I am a human being with feelings of empathy towards the families of the potential transplant receivers. Besides, they will eventually die of other causes, natural or otherwise. Some of the 15 states that have established laws against reproductive cloning have already made it clear that therapeutic cloning is legal; however, no federal law has been passed, nor have all of the 50 states created laws regarding this issue. The U.S. government needs to make up its mind on the subject.

6 De La Espriella 6 Works Cited 1. Clifton, Pete. German cannibal tells of fantasy. BBC News. 3 December, Web. 26 July < 2. n.a. Cloning Dolly the Sheep. AnimalResearch.info. n.d. Web. 20 July < 3. DicoveryHealth.com writers. Infertility Facts to Know. Discovery Fit and Health Web. 20 July < 4. Genetic Science Learning Center. Are Telomeres the Key to Aging and Cancer?. Learn.Genetics. n.d. Web. 20 July < 5. Genetic Science Learning Center. What are the Risks of Cloning?. Learn.Genetics. n.d. Web. 20 July 2011 < 6. Hatton, Celia. Company Cloning Pet Dogs, For Hefty Fee. CBS News. 11 February Web. 20 July < html> 7. Kendall, Susan K. Laws and Public Policy about Cloning. Michigan State University website. 4 March Web. 26 July < 8. Khamrao, Inran. Cloning A Step Towards Immortality. Medical Journal. 25 October Web. 19 July <

7 De La Espriella 7 9. Lovell, JP. Human Cloning is the Cure for Infertility. Human Cloning Foundation Web. 19 July < NCSL. Human Cloning Laws. National Conference of State Legislatures. January Web. 26 July < px> 11. Robison. B.A. Therapeutic Cloning: How it s done;; its possible benefits. ReligiousTolerance.org. 17 August Web. 26 July < 12. Romulus, Thomas. Father who has lost his son favors human cloning. Human Cloning Foundation. n.d. Web. 20 July UNOS. United Network for Organ Sharing. 26 July Web. 26 July <