Hi there!
Today I will be writing about the ethics of cloning (as you can tell by the title). I will discuss how a clone is made, the ethics of cloning, and my opinions on some situations where cloning might be used.
How do you make a clone?
To make a clone of any person, (let's use Leonardo da Vinci (L.d.V.) as an example) you would first need one of L.d.V.'s skin cells (all 46 chromosomes) and secondly, an egg cell (23 chromosomes) from a donor. Thirdly, the nuclei from both of the cells would need to be removed using a micropipette. Next, the nucleus of L.d.V.'s cell (with all 46 chromosomes) would be inserted into the donor egg cell, meaning the egg cell now has all the instructions to make Leonardo da Vinci. The egg is then surgically inserted into the same egg cell donor's womb. Finally, 9 months later a perfect genetic clone of Leonardo da Vinci is born.
Ethics of Cloning
Ethics are behaviour's people have regarding right or wrong. Everyone has their own beliefs around ethics, take for example pineapple on pizza. Some people believe putting pineapple on pizza is wrong, whereas some people believe it's right. We could view this as an ethical dilemma.
Personally, I think cloning is an ethical dilemma, some people think cloning is good, but when the thing being cloned is changed they might begin to think otherwise. This is also vice versa.
There are two sides to cloning, the positives such as being able to make copies of just about anything. But, there are also negatives, such as the reasoning behind a clone, for example, cloning strong, abled people for armies, knowing the people they clone don't have a say.
Below, I'll put some cloning scenarios and my opinion on them. Just remember, people will all have different answers when it comes to cloning, no answer is right or wrong. Even scientists have been debating cloning for years!
Scenario 1: Cloning should be used to replicate extinct animals
I think that cloning shouldn't be used to replicate extinct animals. As much as it would be amazing to see Megalodons or Moa they wouldn't survive very long, as the environments they once lived in have completely changed.
Scenario 2: Cloning should be used to staff armies
I think that cloning shouldn't be used to staff armies because it takes away the rights humans have. A person should not have the right to choose whether or not they join the army or any other defense force taken away from them automatically.
Scenario 3: Cloning should be used to harvest organs for people who need them
I think that cloning shouldn't be used to harvest organs for people who need them. Like Scenario 2, people should be allowed to decide if they want to donate their organs. They shouldn't be 'bred' to give other people organs without consenting they'll do it first.
Thanks for reading!
