The Endless Tunnel- Ethical Issue Essay

ETHICAL ISSUE ESSAY


Picture a mouse scurrying along the tall, white walls of a maze. His speedy action gets him to the end of the maze, and is now able to rest. Even though this mouse appears to be like any other mouse, it happens to be a cloned mouse. Mice are commonly used for research. Unfortunately, these little, cloned, creatures live a short unhealthy life. I personally do not agree with all the technology researchers/scientists work and experiment with. While reading these articles, I still firmly disagree with cloning. Life is not made to be sandwiched in a test tube, in hopes to survive a healthy, prolonged life! Three different types of cloning are Recombinant DNA Technology, Reproductive Cloning, and Therapeutic Cloning. The unknown question lingering is, cloning humans the next step?!

Since the 1970's, Recombinant DNA Technology(DNA cloning) has been known as the common practice in molecular biology labs. DNA cloning is when a piece of DNA is transferred to another organism(plasmid, virus, bacteria) that is a self replica of the gene. This study is used to create identical information, to study off of. An example is, DNA cloning of insulin. This process was done by injecting an insulin gene into a vector, E.coli cell, that produces a chemically identical form of insulin. It is said to be reliable for those individuals struggling with high blood glucose levels in Diabetes. This form of insulin is actually used in majority of insulin dependent individuals. There will always be an individual who will have a adverse reaction to this type of insulin, and researchers continue watching for these kinds of risks. There is a dangerous part, which involves a possible contamination during the purification process. I give insulin to a lot of my diabetic dependent patients, but I'm not sure what the insulin is made of. Therefore I'm not sure what my point to make is. The article states many diabetics are currently using this insulin, therefore it has been tested and is effective.

Reproductive Cloning to me is a controversial subject in itself. The well known sheep, Dolly, was cloned in 1997, but it actually took 276 attempts. This type of cloning is mainly focused on animals. To repopulate endangered animals, those that have difficulties breeding, or for research purposes. I don't see this as being useful. There is obviously a reason for endangered animals, possibly because there are plenty in the world. The wild ox, an endangered animal, was cloned but died, 18 hours after birth due to an infection. Is there a reason it died? Was there an error, or was it meant to be? God miraculously gives, but He also takes away. And what is the purpose of trying to re-create another species? This type of cloning is not identical, but has similar DNA structures. Reproductive Cloning has egregious errors to take into account. A few are programming issues, high death rates, deformities, and disabilities. I don't see why you would want to take the chance and watch an animal suffer through these endless possibilities. Animals aren't capable of expressing their feelings, and what if that part of the brain was a deformity? What if they suffered their short life in pain due to a scientific error?

Therapeutic Cloning is an "embryo cloning." Bio-medical researchers find this cloning important to them. It is a process of storing stem cells in order to study development or attempt to treat diseases. The future focuses are to treat: Alzheimer's, Cancer, and Heart disease. It would be a miracle to find a cure for these diseases; since they have always been an issue and are the top leading causes of death. We are born, we live and we die. If we had a cure for everything in this world, life would seem endless. Don't misjudge me, I think it would be a blessing to find a cure for these diseases, but it almost seems impossible. Embryo cloning is a process that destroys the original embryo, after a specific cell is placed. Which raises a question, why would you destroy and original work of art only to create a new piece of art? An amazing percentage while reading this article on cloning is, 90% of cloning attempts FAIL! It also stated that many of the cloned animals do not live long enough to generate data. We all have personal beliefs and ideas pertaining to our lives and that of animals surrounding the world, but is it possible to stop recreating?

In conclusion, for the most part I do not agree with cloning. I mentioned numerous times, but it does not seem ethical to re-create a new life, whether it be a human or an animal. DNA is full of options, but with many unkown consequences. Cloning humans has and always will be a debate to try and sort through. But, the article states that the U.S. Congress is leaning towards banning human cloning. There are too many unknown questions and concerns that linger the idea of a human replica. Would they have mental dysfunctional problems: cognitive, motor,speach? Cloned animals have already proved to have problems, what makes us certain a human would not? Scientists also feel it is an irresponsible, dangerous attempt. Cloning is a topic of discussion, but with the techonology in today's world, is an endless process of possibilities.