Pros And Cons Of Human Cloning

by Darren

Human Cloning is something the world needs to be ready for. Ever since Dolly the Sheep was first cloned in 1997, the concept of human clones, and what that would mean to society have been debated many times. The area of human cloning is one that is rife with the opportunity for abuse, so it has been taken very seriously by leaders in business, government, and religion.

The United States was quick to act, banning all human cloning with H.R. 2505 - Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001.

“The Administration unequivocally is opposed to the cloning of human beings either for reproduction or for research. The moral and ethical issues posed by human cloning are profound and cannot be ignored in the quest for scientific discovery.”

Let’s take a look at the Pros and Cons of Human Cloning

Let’s look at the Cons - Disadvantages of human cloning

1) No free will for the clone is the number one disadvantage of human cloning. A human clone will not ask to be born. His existence will be because someone else decided to “make him” and bring him into the world. Effectively this puts the person who cloned the clone into a position of God-like power.

2) Human cloning would be an obvious source of “slave labor” if allowed unchecked.

3) There is no guarantee that cloning is safe, even for the clones. Scientists don’t know how long clones will live or how productive their lives will be.

4) “It’s hard out here for a clone.” Life for clones won’t be easy. They’ll face routine discrimination from those non-cloned humans who feel threatened by their existence.

5) The clones themselves will be confused on issues of love and belonging. Clones might very well be emotional wrecks upon learning of their Genesis.

6) The Justice System will need an overhaul. Imagine how many people will have the same fingerprints.

7) Humans and/or body parts could become commodities. Clone farms would arise to harvest organs and worse.

The implications for the abuse of clones is literally astounding. There would be no realistic way to give “researchers” this much control over human life. The commodification of humanity alone is enough to concern anyone who’s even remotely interested in the issue.

Let’s look at the Pros - Advantages of human cloning

The list for pros is going to be a bit shorter. The main areas where human cloning would excel would be in research of medical conditions. The information available from cloning could theoretically open the key to defeat disease, and for this reason alone, many researchers will want to experiment with cloning. The potential Pros are huge, but only if the Cons can be dealt with in an effective manner.

The issue of human cloning promises to rage on. The stakes are high, and the arguments are complex. What roles human cloning plays in our future remains to be seen.