Cloning: A Therapeutic Analysis

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It is quite possible that the key to the future of human life is ourselves. The advancements in cloning technology have progressed to the point that in the near future we may see the possibility of cloning human beings. The most medically beneficial idea in cloning humans, or more likely parts of humans, is that it completely simplifies the way we treat patients. The two categories of cloning are therapeutic and reproductive. Therapeutic cloning involves treating injured body parts by regrowing stem cells in the afflicted area. Reproductive cloning deals with the creation of human beings with the use of human DNA (“Cloning”). The breakthroughs in science and medicine with the introduction of human cloning would be a big step in the direction …show more content…
Therapeutic cloning deals with using stem cells to grow needed body parts. Therapeutic is the most practical type of cloning. It is actively being studied and performed today by scientists across the globe. The process begins with an egg cell that has no nucleus. It is then implanted by the DNA of a human cell and then the development of the embryo is stopped. This is where “stem cells” come into play. Scientists extract them from the embryo to cultivate in their lab (“Cloning”). The benefit in using therapeutic cloning plays a big part in regenerative medicine. Stem cells are very useful and have the potential of saving countless lives. They have the capacity to treat many illnesses and have the ability to form badly needed body parts (Kilner). If a patient would need a new pancreas, for example, then it could be cloned from the existing pancreas tissue (“Cloning). This method is safer than traditional organ transplants because the organ shares the patient’s …show more content…
This type of cloning is the type of technology found in works of science fiction. Reproductive cloning has never been attempted before. Instead of harvesting an embryo for its cells, the goal would be to have the embryo develop to full term. This type of cloning would be very beneficial for several reasons. A couple could grow a new baby if it dies mid pregnancy. Infertile couples could have a child of their own (Aldridge). However, it is crucial to place boundaries on this type of technology. Lines need to be drawn in order to not abuse this power. As a society, we are still far off from performing reproductive cloning. We can only speculate how this type of cloning would work and what its consequences would be. It is still important to think about the way this life altering technology will affect society. If used in a moderate and orderly way, cloning will be ultimately a very beneficial asset for the human

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