Should science be examining the process of cloning cells? There are certain advantages and disadvantages that cloning may provide. By looking at the complete pros and cons list, we can come up with the right decision to the question above.
The Pros of Cloning
1. Healthy cells could be cloned and preserved today for future transplant needs.
2. Livestock that is cloned could provide a cheaper, more nutritious food source.
3. Cloning can help to revive extinct animal species for planetary restoration.
4. Technologies could lead to fresh water creation through cell cloning.
5. Reproduction becomes possible for those with biological interference factors without the need for donor eggs or sperm so children are genetically related.
6. It could lead to new technologies in the future that could extend human life.
7. It could help medical science create new treatment protocols for difficult or incurable diseases such as ALS, MS, and cancer.
8. Cloning could help repair damaged tissues and shorten recovery times through body part creation, such as a new ligament or blood vessel.
9. Same-sex couples could have a 100% genetic relative through the use of a surrogate.
10. It could reduce wait times on the organ transplantation list because cloned cells could create new organs.
11. The genetic research required to further cloning could lead to other discoveries that we haven’t even imagined as of yet.
The Cons of Cloning
1. It could alter the structure of nature in a negative way that could eventually lead to harm.
2. The cells that are cloned may age or react different after creation when compared to “natural” cells.
3. There are ethical implications to cloning that strike chords with religious and philosophical perspectives.
4. It is a new field of science, which means there are higher associated costs.
5. Cloning could create new diseases that are unanticipated by science today.
6. It could reduce human life expectancy rates, especially in children who are directly cloned from parents.
7. There is no information about how genetic clones would transfer genetic information to their children.
8. It could create a new class system in society, putting clones against “natural” people to make one group inferior to the other.
9. Only 5% of cloning attempts to this date have been successful.
Is cloning something that we should pursue? Examine the facts on this cloning pros and cons list and each can come to their own opinion.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.