The Cloning of Human Beings Essay Example
The Cloning of Human Beings Essay Example

The Cloning of Human Beings Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (940 words)
  • Published: April 9, 2022
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Human cloning is the process of genetically creating an exact copy of a person. It is majorly used while referring to the reproduction of tissues and cells in people. Human cloning is a contentious issue in the field of genetic engineering with some of the opponents arguing against it on ethical grounds. One such person who has vehemently opposed the whole idea of human cloning is Leon Kass who has been a long-serving biomedical scientist. He has authored several books on biomedical ethics in explaining some of his points against human cloning and all other issues of human cell manipulation by technology and genetic engineering.

In his testimony against human cloning before the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Kass strongly urged the commission to reconsider their stand on human cloning and declare it unethical. He further recommends that the Commission

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should declare a total ban on the issue of human cloning (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010). He focuses his attention to the widespread repugnance which has been for a long time elicited advances in the field of human cloning. He advances his arguments to the commission based on four critical lines; concerns on ethics of experimentation on the human body, identity, and individuality of a person, dangers of procreation manufacture and the adverse impact on the society understanding on the issue of having children (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010).

According to Leon Kass, over the past 30 years, the issues of human cloning have received as soft spot among the major stakeholders in the departments of ethics regulation. People have been slowly convinced through movies, cartoons, intermittent commentaries in the mass media and jokes that human cloning i

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ethical and a revolutionary concept in the human beings generation (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010). Since these are instruments of mass influence, it is correct to argue that the proponents of human cloning have used theses avenues since the issues are now not receiving criticism as it did 25-30 years ago.

Kass further outlines the human cloning associated with other new practices in human production. These practices according to his argument are also unethical. These methods include in vitro fertilization, the manipulation of the embryo and surrogate mothers (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010). These practices are not only limited to human production but have also extended to other animals where the methods include animal biotechnology and transgenic animals (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010).

Cultural changes in different societies over the years make it difficult to address some of the issues in human production respectfully. The society has been influenced into believing that concepts such human sexuality, procreation and the nascence of life are complicated to understand which might require some elements of technological involvement, which changes these ideas significantly. He further argues that the meaning of fatherhood or motherhood has been distorted with the concepts such as human cloning which directly represents broken links between generations (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010).

The technological changes are affecting the natural boundaries which have existed for several years with the introduction of concepts such as the human cloning and embryo manipulation. The variations in the natural limits of life have noticeable effects and consequences on the moral boundaries which he further claims are up for grabs (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010). With such changes in the natural and moral boundaries, it

is increasingly becoming difficult to make a persuasive yet a compelling case against human cloning. The changes disrupt the normal human life processes like procreation which he further claims turns people into beastlike creatures with no sense of humanity or intimate relationships between them. Kass claims are valid if we consider them from morality or ethical grounds. The issue of human cloning disrupts the normal human life.

Issues of human cloning should not be handled with complacency by the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. The concept may be continuous with past reproductive technologies but when examined from the biomedical ethics viewpoint, it present new and radically new perspectives regarding both foreseeable and unforeseeable consequences. The process of human procreation according to Kass is a question of whether it is going to remain human after all the technological advancements in human tissues and cells modifications (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010).

From the views of different biological scientists, the process of reproducing children in the future is now hanging in the balance. Various biomedical ethics researchers claim that with the ongoing technological advancements in human cloning and the soft spot offered by the commission, the issue of children will be a question of how they are scientifically made rather than how they are begotten (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010). It is also going to be an issue of whether it is right or wrong to the road leading to the dehumanization rationality resulting into a brave new world. When the matter of human cloning is raised, it is business as usual with the concerned ethics regulatory authorities not giving it serious considerations and thoughts. According to Kass however, the human

race should be afraid of such advancements since it is threatening the whole concept of humanity (DeGrazia, Mappes, & Ballard, 2010).

The arguments presented by Kass regarding human cloning in, conclusion, should concern anybody who is interested in the ethics and morality of the human race. The concept is slowly breaking generational links, with children being viewed as manufactured rather begotten. The National Bioethics Advisory Commission should take appropriate actions to curb the practice before it gets out of hand. Steps they can take include giving the people the right information about the issue of human cloning and restricting experimentation on the human specimen.

References

  1. DeGrazia, D., Mappes, T., & Ballard, M. (2010). Biomedical Ethics (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
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