Cloning

Author's Note: This is a piece I wrote in science class about Cloning and my thoughts about it. 

            How cool would it be for you to have your own double? What if a scientist showed up to your door and offered you this opportunity? In reproductive cloning this is all possible. Reproductive cloning is illegal though, unless it is done with animals. I believe that reproductive cloning should be legal because of the benefits it offers.

            Cloning does have several benefits, but what is reproductive cloning? “Reproductive cloning is a technology used to generate an animal that has the same nuclear DNA as another currently or previously existing animal”. (Human Genome Project Information). What this is saying is Cloning is taking an animal and remaking it into another animal so it’s like you have your own double. But how is cloning done? What is the operation? “In reproductive cloning, researchers remove a mature somatic cell, such as a skin cell or an udder cell, from an animal that they wish to copy. They then transfer the DNA of the donor animal's somatic cell into an egg cell, or oocyte, that has had its own DNA-containing nucleus removed. (Cloning ) ” What this means is when cloning, scientists take a cell from an animal or a human that they want to clone and place the DNA, of the cell, into the selected cell (Which means its DNA was removed). This procedure is highly risky and tough.

            Scientists have perfected a clone before. We have been on this project for a little while. Just look at Dolly; “Dolly was created by reproductive cloning technology.” (Cloning Fact Sheet ). Dolly is a sheep that was the result of a cloned adult sheep. So there have been positive outcomes, it has been done before even though there is a high chance that; that kind of success won’t happen again. That is why we have been testing them on animals and not humans also it is illegal on humans because we are not positive it will work.

            There are some advantages for cloning. One advantage is that “Reproductive cloning can be used to develop efficient ways to reliably reproduce animals with special qualities” (Cloning Fact Sheet ). This means reproductive cloning can be used to remake animals with unique qualities then can benefit humans. This can benefit humans because certain animals perform complex activates that allow scientists to record their results. If animals can perform more complex activates that can give scientists new data to go by to create more accurate medicine. Another advantage is “Reproductive cloning also could be used to repopulate endangered animals or animals that are difficult to breed.” (Cloning Fact Sheet ). What this means is cloning can also help breed the endangered animals or animals that are difficult to breed. This will help save our wild life and the food chain in the environment.

            Although there are advantages to cloning, they’re just as many disadvantages to it as well. One disadvantage is “Reproductive cloning is expensive and highly inefficient. More than 90% of cloning attempts fail to produce viable offspring.” In other words it is very expensive to clone and most clones do not create offspring. Also if clones do create offspring, scientists would not be sure if it would be controllable. Also in the cloning of Dolly it took several fails and deaths of offspring before a success. Scientist can’t take the risk of trying to help the endangered species and then hurting them more.

            So would you want your own double? Do you feel cloning should be legal. I believe it should be even though it is highly expensive and very dangerous it can also help scientist in their study with medication and the endangered species.