Another me? Another you.

I am taking a bit of time to briefly discuss cloning. While I cannot guarantee the quality of my other intellectual posts, I will do my best to bring it into this last such post.

Dolly, a Finn Dorset sheep, was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell in 1996. Before then, a couple other animals were cloned. Since then, many other animals have been cloned. Among these animals are tadpoles, carp, cats, and horses. Some people consider cloning to be a patch on the problem of endangered species.

But what is cloning? It is the process of creating an identical copy of something. In organisms, it refers to creating copies of DNA or cells or organisms. In the case of certain organisms, it could also be asexual reproduction.

An example of cellular cloning would be creating a swatch of skin from a single cell. There are certain advantages to things such as this. Tissue cultures can be used in medicine. Skin, for example, could be used to help victims with severe burns. These cultures are rather difficult to cultivate, as they will not grow unless they are exposed to certain conditions.

We have genetically modified plants and animals. We have been cloning animals successfully since 1952. But there are two commonly accepted reasons for cloning. There is therapeutic cloning. This is done to produce various cells, for organs or various body parts. If technology advances to the point where this can be done with any sort of efficiency and certainty, it could lead to medical "magic." Transplant patients must take immunosuppressive drugs now. But if science can create exact copies of someone's organs would become unnecessary.

But there is also reproductive cloning. This is done solely for the purpose of creating copies of organisms. This is done be transferring material so that the created organism is a genetic copy of the donor. These copies are not completely exact, due to possible genetic mutations and mitochondrial genomes. It is this type of cloning which is most worrisome, especially when it comes to the prospect of human cloning. In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences called for a legally enforced ban on such cloning. The Academy, however, did support continued research on therapeutic cloning because of its possible medical benefits.

There are quite a few ethical issues with cloning as well. Horticultural cloning has been going on for centuries. But the problems come in with animal and human cloning. One argument against human cloning is that it should not be done, even to save the life an individual. The Christian argument is that life begins at conception and cloning is, in a sense, "playing God." Generally, Judaism is more accepting of cloning, as life is not equated with conception. Liberals protest cloning because of the perceived right of a person to protect his/her genetic material.

So, do we clone? Do we keep a complete ban on cloning? Your opinions.

~Interminable Immediacy