POLL: Cloning

[bfmusashi]

I posted this on CNX, but I still need a lot more replies, so opinions will be appreciated.

Human cloning is closer to becoming a reality now. But ask yourself this: Is it morally right to clone a human being? Do you think a cloned human should be treated just like another human being, or differently?

[joker]

i dont think humans or animals should be cloned

[DerekPowers]

you know, ive thought about this for a while and this is my theory...

well, as a species it seems that our greatest challenge has been living in peace and accepting others that are different. well, it seems that the racial discrimination that exists is slowly but surely being eliminated, people are more compasionate and accepting of people who are different (atleast in the usa), so its only a matter of time till racial discrimination its gone for good.

after that i'd say the last big seperator, so to speak, is sexual preference. it seems that the country's attitude toward gay people is where it was 50 years ago in regards to racial minorities. thats going to be a hurdle, but i believe it will play out the same way the racism has played out, and some time down the road it will be gone as well.

so, with no more racism and discrimination of people of different sexual orientations, whats left?? there got to be some sort of social struggle (well there doesnt have to be, but we are only human). so in the distant future, enter the clones, cyborgs, and genetically enhanced humans. i think it will be a whole new struggle trying to figure these things out, cause it is the future, wheter we want to believe it or not. there will be people who were genetically enhanced since they were a blob of dna, who will be more capable at certain things than people not enhanced. how should we treat them and how will they treat us? how will humans react to clones? what about cyborgs?

its all in the future, but if you ask me, i dont think we should treat them any differently than other humans. clones are still humans, just created differently. cyborgs may be another story, if they're more machine that man. but we'll just have to wait and see. peace.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I don't think it's right or wrong, but I personally don't like it. I'd accept it if people wanted to do it, but I don't think it's a good idea. Cloning humans for medical reasons doesn't seem too hot for the clone, either.

Should they be treated differently? I dunno, but I'm pretty sure clones aren't going to tell you that they're clones, anyway. So you'd treat them the same either way. Of course, that's my civilian reaction. How they're treated medically and by their "creators" is a whole different ball game.

[The Guitar Slayer]

Eh, I don't like the idea of cloning for a few reasons.

1. Theological (good little Catholic girl I am) ;)

2. I find it scary that I could be cloned. There is no need for more than one of me. One's enough. I'm screwed up enough without doubling the fun. I have enough trouble dealing with me. I don't need a mini-me. Holy crap, imagine if some you guys had mini-mes. :eek: That's a nightmare in the making. :eek: :eek: :D

3. What if my clone committed a crime? I'd probably get caught instead, knowing my luck. :rolleyes:

4. Imagine the psychological hell both of you'd be going through. "I'm the Guitar Slayer." "No, I am." Identity crisis. It's different with twins. You've been together for all of your life. When you are cloned, you have no connection whatsoever to a person that looks exactly like you.

Peace and Rock 'n' Roll
The Guitar Slayer :cool:

[G. Wen]

Being a Christian, I don't believe that it is right to clone people (or play God depending on how you look at it). Also, cloning takes away the uniqueness that every human being has. There is always the argument that a clone is an exact DNA replica of you, identical in the physical sense but not in the mental sense, because the person's mind is effected by environment. In other words, they look like you, but they don't think like you, and what ultimately makes you you is your mind. However, when the clone grows up and gains a sense of conscienceness, it will never feel like an individual or will it be viewed as an individual. Instead, it will go through life being a copy.
I think people rarely consider if cloning is in the best interest of the clone. Is it right for a person to be nothing but the endproduct of a scientific discovery for the rest of its life? How will this knowledge effect this person? Don't people deserve to be more, to be an individual, to be special because there is no one else like him/her?

[Ruffian]

I like science, but cloning is something I would say no to. For me it's just too unnatural and I really don't think humans have the right to clone. For one thing, no asks to be created and a clone would be a human (Hmmm, I'm just reminded of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.) What would it think when it realizes what it is, how would it react, how would other people react and treat it, what would be done with it?? Too many ethical problems go into it that I think it would be better not to dabble with it. I already have issues with people designing their own babies, people who want their kids to be of a certain look or intelligence. If people want kids or to procreate, I say do it the way nature intended.

As of right now, we know the technology is possible, but the chances of actually cloning a viable human are very very slim. Cloning ain't as easy as it sounds.

[Jedigreedo]

I think cloning should only be used for maybe only animals so we can have an animal to study and we don't have to take one from the population, like getting a blood sample from an endangered animal, if cloning had limited flaws and every clone would come out normal, we could restore a population of endangered species. But cloning just the heck of it is, well not needed. Not too mention any clone made from a human being would be making another human being, so if a human isn't expendable, a clone wouldn't be either. Plus I'm sure there would be several groups against cloning like some groups are with racism and such. If we truly needed clones, like for help, then yeah, creating a clone would be ok if it would help and we'd treat them like regular humans, but no doubt someone would try to make a clone just so the clone would do their dirty work, like in Deep Space 9 with Jeffrey Combs as a Dominion Clone.

[Joe Tully]

If you're talking about using cloning to create another human being, no. There's no advantage to it, and many potential downsides to it. If you're talking about cloning to create embryos for therapeutic research, then yes, go ahead. There's a lot of potential to cure many diseases.

I don't see why you'd treat a cloned human any differently. It doesn't make sense to me.

By the way, we have already cloned human embryos. I'm not sure if some other people responding to this thread were aware of this. I'm not sure if the embryos would have developed properly, but to me, that's shows that we practically have the human cloning technology.

[Sir Gatts]

The cloning process hasn't proved itself to me for us to start cloning humans now. It probably won't become a standard practice on humans. The practice of some human cloning should provide vast data for those who work under genetic engineering. New breeds of humans could be produced that can resist many harmful toxins and poisons produced by the many viruses and bacteria. That said, would probably lead to using these engineered humans to create antibiotics for us unengineered folk.

I feel of cloning as merely a tool but think of cloning as a timebomb with the clock already ticking. Maybe I've been watching too many sci-fi programs. :p

[RockItShipper]

Dunno if anyone here heard about the cloned pigs, but they managed to get down one of the barriers in a pig organ not adapting to a human body during a transplant. I think this sort of thing isn't all that bad myself.

[DR. BELCH]

I'm still pondering Dolly, the sheep. It was announced Friday in Yahoo news (though I've been saying it for months!) that she has arthritis. She's barely five years old, which is young in sheep years. Apart from joint trouble, she and her children are healthy--but human cells are vastly different, and no telling how a culture from a 30-year-old-human would act. Imagine a twenty-year old clone looking fifty or sixty, or dropping dead of a coronary at thirty. Ian Wilmut, the Roslin Institute scientist who "fathered" Dolly, calls the present procedures used "inefficient".
I'm not adverse to cloning organs, such as the pigs Rocky mentioned (one of those teams beind that project was Mr. Wilmut's, actually) but I have my doubts about cloning whole beings. Arthritis? Heart problems? Progeria? Stillbirths? Not worth it.
Incidentally, there is one way to differentiate between an original and a clone--leave the latter uncircumscised. Of course, that'd only work with the males.... :D

[Trent Lane]

Don't you like how they say they've "successfully" cloned all these things? I'm willing to bet they look like those Ripley clones in Alien Resurrection. It's something I've always felt did not in any way need to be messed with, both due to my faith and my own reasons. They've already been told they're not going to be doing it (if I remember what Bush said correctly), so that should be enough. They need to start working on cures for present diseases and ailments instead of messing with things they have no right...

Ah, I'm glad my 1200th post was an angry rant :D

[James]

I have no problem with it. It's the next step in science. Everyone fears new leaps in science, but that is the nature of our species. This practise can't be stopped. It's the next step and we just have to accept the pitfalls with the progress that science gives up (and science gives us plenty as we all know!).

If we take a frightened leap back then we push this underground, out of control. If we embrace it and the benefits it brings and treat whatever the outcome with repsect, all could benefit from such procedures.

As a race, we are what we are. Embrace that, and let's react with civilized intellect rather than primitive and often superstitious fear of the unknown.

[Joe Tully]

Originally posted by flhero311
They need to start working on cures for present diseases and ailments instead of messing with things they have no right...



Cloning actually is related to curing diseases. It provides stem cells, which can be used to restore some leg movement to paralyzed rats, have cured spina bifida in sheep, and show promise in many other areas as well. Maybe you feel that stem cell research is immoral, but it is actually helpful and shows a lot of promise, and polls show that a majority of pro-lifers support stem cells, including prominent pro-life advocates such as Orrin Hatch. Bush has banned full-fledged human cloning, but not embryonic cloning, if I remember correctly. The first embryo was cloned in late Nov or early Dec. IMO the two are entirely different things.

I think we've gone over this before, but I think that we need to support cloning. Science is going to move forward, if not in the U.S., then in Europe or even over international waters. The U.S. can't stop the development of cloning altogether, at its best it can only impede it. I feel that our best bet is to proceed with cloning while being aware of potential problems, and in that way we can reap potential benefits while guiding the science.

[Trent Lane]

I'm aware of the stem cell research. I'm also aware that many of the people that it would help are against it. A woman that has been kept to a wheelchair all her life would most likely be able to walk with the help of this research, but she declined it and wants nothing to do with it. Basically, it all comes down to where your morals and faith are. Some people see things happen for a reason and they grow stronger from it, and any way to "cheat" out of it just isn't for them....

[kiddiesunshine]

i see nothing wrong, but what's the point? who wants multiple kiddiesunshines roaming the streets at night?

[James]

Originally posted by kiddiesunshine
i see nothing wrong, but what's the point? who wants multiple kiddiesunshines roaming the streets at night?

Certainly not!

However I wouldn't turn my nose up at multiple SJJs roaming the streets at night....

[Roman Legion]

Human embryos will be cloned and used for any imaginable purposes, whether it be ethical or not, or whether we like it or not. The complete process of cloning humans from a single cell to full grown individuals will happen, whether it be ethical or not, or whether we like it or not. Some will greatly benefit, others will greatly suffer, whether it be ethical or not, or whether we like it or not. Such are the ways of "progress". This century will bring events far beyond what any of us can imagine or prepare for, and none of our thoughts or opinions can do anything to change it. Optimism or Pessimism, it's all the same.

Personally, I don't much like it, but such are the ways of the world...

Romey
--Cheerfull, aren't I...?

[Overkill of ASE]

Differs to:

Dr. Ian Malcolm of Jurassic Park.