With new advancements in cloning technology and stem cell research in the past two decades, cloning may soon become the norm in society. From the 1996 birth of Dolly the Sheep, the world’s first cloned animal, to new discoveries in using cloned cells to create organs, scientists have made immense progress in their understanding of cloning. Cloning is defined as “the process of generating a genetically identical copy of a cell or an organism” (“Cloning”). There are three different types of cloning that are all used for different purposes: therapeutic cloning, gene cloning, and reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning is used to create tissues that are genetically identical to a patient’s cells so the patient’s body does not reject a new organ
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Supporters for cloning animals for food believe that it can increase the food supply and diminish the problem of world hunger. In addition, the FDA has claimed that it is safe to eat meat from cloned animals (Friant-Perrot 414). Opponents to animals being cloned for food believe that it is a cruel and unnecessary treatment of the animals. In 2013, the European Commission issued a proposal to provisionally ban “the use of cloning for food production purposes and the marketing of live animal clones” (qtd. in Vaque 227). The Commission believes that this suspension “strikes a reasonable fair balance between animal welfare, citizens’ concerns and the interests of farmers, breeders and other stakeholders involved (qtd. in Vaque 228). The main concern for opponents to animal food cloning is that many clones die due to abnormalities. Even though it is true that cloned animals are more likely to have abnormalities and die earlier than normal animals, the FDA still approves of them as a safe food source. Therefore, there is no reason not to allow cloned animals to be used for food. An article by Marine Friant-Perrot refutes the arguments of the European Commission. She says that the Commission’s proposal would not effectively rid the market of cloned foods because “once the clones have entered the food chain, only a proper segregation can distinguish the clones’ offspring products from conventional products” …show more content…
This could be accomplished through modern gene cloning as scientists are able to isolate certain genes in DNA and extract them. The idea of eugenics became controversial after the Holocaust and has been associated with ethnic cleansing. During the Third Reich, Hitler sought to rid the world of the Jewish people in order to, in his mind, make it a better place. People become afraid when they hear talk of eugenics because it could be used to eliminate certain traits from people. A man interviewed about eugenics said, “You can breed a certain kind of human beings and there, I see a great danger” (qtd. in Zwick 278). The danger is that with the power of gene cloning, the theory of eugenics can become a reality. We would be sacrificing our diversity and individuality for a world populated with so-called “better” humans. Eugenics could be used not just for ethnic cleansing, but for artificial breeding of humans that are more intelligent or athletic. Imagine Olympic competitors who were bred by the government of their representative country for the sole purpose of winning the gold medal. It devalues the competitive aspect of the Olympics and is also inhumane to the person who was cloned specifically to compete. The Olympics is supposed to be a fair competition between the most talented people in the
Supporters for cloning animals for food believe that it can increase the food supply and diminish the problem of world hunger. In addition, the FDA has claimed that it is safe to eat meat from cloned animals (Friant-Perrot 414). Opponents to animals being cloned for food believe that it is a cruel and unnecessary treatment of the animals. In 2013, the European Commission issued a proposal to provisionally ban “the use of cloning for food production purposes and the marketing of live animal clones” (qtd. in Vaque 227). The Commission believes that this suspension “strikes a reasonable fair balance between animal welfare, citizens’ concerns and the interests of farmers, breeders and other stakeholders involved (qtd. in Vaque 228). The main concern for opponents to animal food cloning is that many clones die due to abnormalities. Even though it is true that cloned animals are more likely to have abnormalities and die earlier than normal animals, the FDA still approves of them as a safe food source. Therefore, there is no reason not to allow cloned animals to be used for food. An article by Marine Friant-Perrot refutes the arguments of the European Commission. She says that the Commission’s proposal would not effectively rid the market of cloned foods because “once the clones have entered the food chain, only a proper segregation can distinguish the clones’ offspring products from conventional products” …show more content…
This could be accomplished through modern gene cloning as scientists are able to isolate certain genes in DNA and extract them. The idea of eugenics became controversial after the Holocaust and has been associated with ethnic cleansing. During the Third Reich, Hitler sought to rid the world of the Jewish people in order to, in his mind, make it a better place. People become afraid when they hear talk of eugenics because it could be used to eliminate certain traits from people. A man interviewed about eugenics said, “You can breed a certain kind of human beings and there, I see a great danger” (qtd. in Zwick 278). The danger is that with the power of gene cloning, the theory of eugenics can become a reality. We would be sacrificing our diversity and individuality for a world populated with so-called “better” humans. Eugenics could be used not just for ethnic cleansing, but for artificial breeding of humans that are more intelligent or athletic. Imagine Olympic competitors who were bred by the government of their representative country for the sole purpose of winning the gold medal. It devalues the competitive aspect of the Olympics and is also inhumane to the person who was cloned specifically to compete. The Olympics is supposed to be a fair competition between the most talented people in the