Animal Cloning: Is the Future Today? For the past few decades, farmers have been cloning animals for agricultural purposes. Farmers work with Scientists to create genetic copies of livestock that have admirable and favorable qualities. Farmers may try to create a living copy of their most prized animal, most commonly a cow or sheep. However, animal cloning is not always a perfect procedure, and is not quite approved by society. By examining and analyzing studies and research concerning the issue, it is clear that animal cloning is not ethical. Cloning animals does not always work flawlessly, and the fail rates are extremely high. For example, embryologist Ian Wilmut implanted 277 cloned sheep embryos in surrogate ewes, from which only thirteen
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Because of errors in the genetics of clones, there could be imbalances in cloned animals’ hormone, protein, and fat levels that could compromise safety of products. Furthermore, the surrogate mothers of clones are often injected with immense doses of hormones to improve the odds of that the cloned embryo will implant in the surrogate mother’s uterus. Since the surrogate mothers have no value after giving birth to the clones, they are often sent to the slaughterhouse. Because the mothers have been dosed with hormones, the meat distributed and sold for human consumption may contain veterinary pharmaceuticals. The clones themselves, having been born with severely compromised immune systems, are frequently given massive doses of antibiotics and other medications. Commercialization of cloned products would almost certainly increase amounts of veterinary hormones and antibiotics into the human food supply. Commercialization of these products may also increase the incidence of illnesses caused by food consumption, such as E. coli infections(Mendelson III, 5). Even if cloned livestock was safe for consumption, it would not be necessary to produce. Farmers are already producing so much meat that they must find export markets to make a profit. Milk is cheaper than bottled water, and the dairy industry
Because of errors in the genetics of clones, there could be imbalances in cloned animals’ hormone, protein, and fat levels that could compromise safety of products. Furthermore, the surrogate mothers of clones are often injected with immense doses of hormones to improve the odds of that the cloned embryo will implant in the surrogate mother’s uterus. Since the surrogate mothers have no value after giving birth to the clones, they are often sent to the slaughterhouse. Because the mothers have been dosed with hormones, the meat distributed and sold for human consumption may contain veterinary pharmaceuticals. The clones themselves, having been born with severely compromised immune systems, are frequently given massive doses of antibiotics and other medications. Commercialization of cloned products would almost certainly increase amounts of veterinary hormones and antibiotics into the human food supply. Commercialization of these products may also increase the incidence of illnesses caused by food consumption, such as E. coli infections(Mendelson III, 5). Even if cloned livestock was safe for consumption, it would not be necessary to produce. Farmers are already producing so much meat that they must find export markets to make a profit. Milk is cheaper than bottled water, and the dairy industry