Pandora's Box or Prometheus's Fire?
"Sperm and egg cells are mixed together on a glass dish. After conception,
the zygote (fertilized egg) is allowed to develop into a blastula (a hollow
mass of cells). The zygote divides first into two cells, then four, then
eight... A chemical is added to the dish to remove the ‘zona pellucida' covering.
This material provides nutrients to the cells to promote cell division. With
the covering removed, the blastula is divided into individual cells which are
deposited on individual dishes. They are then coated with an artificial zona
pellucida and allowed to divide and develop."
The other process is called adult DNA cloning. This is done by taking a cell from mammary tissue while the DNA is in a dormant state. Then it is fused with an ovum whose nucleus has been removed. The ‘fertilized' cell can then be stimulated with an electric pulse. Many attempts mat have to be made before the cell divides; then it can be implanted. Next, with luck, pregnancy will occur, and the process is complete. To clone- in simpler terms, to double, divide, or copy. No matter which way you ‘splice' it, the subject is a web of discussion and debate. More than most are at least a little bit sacred of the prospects and implications cloning represents, and the numbers are growing. Cloning is a very controversial topic, but one way or another, it will change the way society sees and thinks about itself.
Despite the reasons that morality and ethics present their are a number of scientific and even historical reasons not to clone life, especially human life, in any size, shape, or form. Many believe that the technology is a bomb waiting to go off. ‘What would Hitler have done with cloning power?' is a very popular question among critics. Now, remove the name ‘Hitler' and put in its place some other fanatical dictator. Two of the most common misconceptions about cloning are that it's difficult to accomplish and that it's incredibly expensive; neither of these statements could be further from reality. Soon, just about any third world country will have the money and capability to carry out a cloning project of their own desire and design. Imagine a race of genetically enhanced supermen or a cloned class of people whose sole purpose in life is to be slave labor. Sound like the lame plot of an old Star Trek episode? Guess again, each is a possibility for the future.
Others fear that through large scale and long term cloning, whole species could be wiped off the face of the Earth. After all, diversity is what drives the evolutionary process. If a certain species is extremely susceptible to a certain type of disease and that species is cloned, in the future they'll have no defense and an entire group of animals will become extinct. Granted, you could always clone more, but the problem would still exist. Another problem that many have questioned but none can answer yet is that of a cells life span. For example, the now famous sheep, Dolly, was created from a 6 year old cell. Whereas normal sheep have a life expectancy of 11 years most scientists surmise that Dolly will only live to 5 years of age. Of course, we'll have to simply wait and see, but most fear that this will be the case since cells seem to have a built-in predetermined life span. One last fairly amusing aspect of the negativity of cloning is the fact that males will no longer be necessary for procreation. Female cells were used in all the successful attempts, whereas male cells undergoing the exact same procedure have failed to produce. If the technique is perfected, speaking in terms of evolutionary process, males would literally no longer be needed and could be allowed to become extinct. While this is not a very probable future, it's still rather amusing to consider.
All of these problems, were they to become factual, would have a significant effect on how society relates within itself. Can you imagine being the mother who knows her child's life span will be cut short because the baby was cloned from 30 year old cells? Or imagine, perhaps, being a member or having to associate with members of a cloned ‘slave' population? How would you react; how would the knowledge change your life? The answers are different for everyone and, in every case, incredibly complex.
Despite society's general fear of what cloning may bring, scientists have great hopes and big plans for the future of this constantly advancing technology. For example, through the use of human embryonic stem cells scientists now have the ability to dramatically treat and in some cases cure illnesses such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, and a number of other degenerative diseases. Human embryonic stem cells have the potential to treat many of the aforementioned ailments as well as a great many others. Until now, aborted fetuses were the only source of the desired stem cells, but with the technology of cloning these very same cells could possibly be isolated and cultivated, thus giving scientists a continual supply without risk to additional embryos. That's not all that science could do either. Genetic defects could become a thing of the past. Parents with high risk of passing things such as hemophilia on to their children could have a fertilized ovum tested for the disorder or disease. If the clone is free of defects it could be inserted back into the mother and allowed to mature. If not free, then other ova could be tested in the same way until successful. Wouldn't a world without sickle cell anemia, isomerase deficiency, and tuberous sclerosis, to name a few, be wonderful? Cloning could make it happen.
One of the most interesting and worthwhile things science has come up with through cloning is the transgenic animal. A transgenic animal is genetically engineered to contain genes from another species. Dolly, again, is a good example of this. She was created in the hopes that eventually scientists will have a group of sheep that produce a human blood-clotting factor in their milk which can be used to treat hemophiliacs. Another example in the news recently is pigs. Their organs are approximately the same size as ours, but the human immune system violently rejects pig organs because they're too dissimilar. The transgenic pigs have human genes that our immune systems will recognize, making such heart, liver, and kidney transplants no more difficult than normal surgery. Thousands of people die every year waiting on a list fro human organs. Just imagine the number of lives the cloning of these pigs would save.
Once again, think of the effects that all of these breakthroughs would have on society. A great amount pf grief and stress would be eliminated with a few singular cloning efforts. Society as a whole and people as individuals would walk though life a little less worried about the world of tomorrow and a little more sure that their family and friends were safe and sound. Of course, not all of society feels that way. Several of the life saving techniques I've just mentioned are considered immoral and unethical. The reasons are mostly religious ones and entirely understandable, but if we are to grow and learn, experiments must be conducted. If we want to save thousands of future lives, sacrifices must be made and society will have to deal with how far it's willing to go in the name of science.
Cloning has been, is, and probably always will be a controversial topic. The variety of people in this world make it impossible for everyone to agree or disagree about any specific cloning subject. Some people won't even eat vegetables if they believe them to be clones. Through observation and knowledge it's easy to see that technology always finds a way. We, as a society, will grow and learn as our scientists discover more and soon their will be less to fear and more to look forward to with the possibilities of cloning. With that understanding, perhaps we'll even be able to better understand ourselves and our views as a diversified and technologically expanding, cultural world.
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