Cloning - good or bad?

How do you feel about cloning?

Personally, I am cautious about it. I could see many benefits, but the risks to weakening the gene pools, creating a super virus, etc, all concern me.

However, I just read this article below and it made me pause. My Grandfather died of Parkinson's Disease. I don't know if it runs in the family, but if there is a cure...


Cloning treats mouse Parkinson's

 

The article is interesting. Thank you

I am not sure what edicts the religious people would deliver against cloning. But I support the idea of creating perfect, Super-humans. That is our destiny. No more diseases, longer lifespan, stronger bodies, these are the things we should target to achieve.

 

I could see there being a benefit to it if we wish to push humanity into space. Altering the DNA to withstand radiation, heat, cold, or lack of Oxygen. I imagine we could also create clones one day and then somehow move our thoughts to the other body, just in case the original is killed or severely injured.

It's a slippery slope though. It could turn into something horrific that could end humanity, just the same.

 

I have mixed feelings, but the downside rests with the heuristic face of science - as exact as it is, it is still moving from the known to the unknown, to illuminate new truths. As with GMO's, I am concerned that we may be messing with things that may show themselves to be deeply harmful, but only well after the fact, and we human beings tend to be woefully shortsighted in ignoring potential long run impacts. The race to secure new, revolutionary bio-patents means big money, big prizes, big prestige - but few sit down with a more global view of what we are doing.

On the other hand, the technology shows potential to be a tremendous force for good. Hence, mixed feelings.

 

I really like how you said that; "may show themselves to be deeply harmful, but only well after the fact". That is what some or many people choose to ignore or disregard. The short term benefits could be great, but are we dooming ourselves in the process? Much like tanning.

As to the wording, I should have said "the use of cloning".

 

I don't see what problems can come from cloning. It's just replicating DNA is a new offspring. A creature with that genome already exists so what problems can arise from having 2 of them?

Genetic modification could cause some problems. Creating a glow in the dark pig is unlikely to kill anyone. Until we are able to figure out exactly how poly-nucleotides code a genome we are limited to splicing DNA which means the only new characteristics we can give a creature have to already exist in another creature fully coded in the genome. We just do a cut and paste job.

If something is able to help and we are capable of doing it, we have to do it.

 

Cloning needs more testing and research. As with all things that have great potential, it shouldn't be abandoned, but put to proper uses.

It shouldn't be used to create duplicates of human beings though. We have enough problems with identity theft and scams. We don't need a bodysnatcher superscam or ten elvis clones walking around at music concerts.

 

personally i think anything that improves the health and wellbeing of the human race has to be a good thing

 

What I am not so certain about is the organism's reaction to such a thing. It just seems a bit cowboy for me, for the time being. For instance, folks who can die from peanut consumption (I've actually known a guy who did - an ex-neighbor). With scant little information coming forward, some GMO's in the food chain contain cross-"contaminations" of gene sequences that I'm not too sanguine are harm-free for all people; yet the info isn't widely and publically available. Just one example.

To cloning, I hear what you're saying, and it was well put. I suppose most of my objection comes to cloning entire individuals - we're not exactly short already. We need to die more, not live longer. ( ) My wistful anti-modern self talking. Damaged parts of bodies? Great.

 

I don't know really to be honest. There are benefits and being a christian myself makes me hesitate on the idea because I think you could potentially go to far with it. However, my dad recieved Hepititus C through a blood transfusion before they ever knew it even existed. He still takes chemotherapy and although it is helping him he will probably never be cured of it. Luckily it is improving the condition to the point that his liver is no longer dying at an abnormal rate and if the progress remains the same it probably will not be the cause of his death.

Many others aren't so lucky though. Many are forced to rely on liver transplants. If they could just produce another liver for someone, that would be pretty amazing.

 

Isn't it amazing how our viewpoint changes when we become directly or almost directly involved in something controversial like this? I have deep concerns myself, but at the same time the potential benefits are so appealing. It's easy to lose sight of the risks.

Did you see I Am Legend? It kind of reminds me of that.

 

That's really what these arguments come down to: How do you define life? When do you believe "life" begins? And what rights do you give "life" at it's different stages?

I think a lot of good can come from stem cell research, but obviously caution needs to be in place. Boundaries should be in place for stem cell research and cloning. I'm on the fence really.

 

Heavy topic for sure.

I don't have a problem with cloning, as long as people who don't want to participate in cloning aren't pressured or coerced.

@usa, sorry about your grandfather.

 

Thanks Guerilla. It was quite a while ago. Unfortunately, he'd had it the entire time he was in my life, so I never really got to know him as a healthy person. For this reason, it would have been nice to have such an option.

Ironically, Michael J Fox and I were often compared to one another (lookswise) and when he was diagnosed it hit home.

 

I'm ok with cloning organs and important body tissues for medical purposes...but they should stop rigth there..

 

Yeah, I totally agree with you