Cloning

[sobrique]

I heard on the radio this morning, that there's been the first request for human embryo cloning.

The research project is to try and develop cloned insulin producing cells.

I'm still a little confused as to what the big arguments against cloning are. I mean, as far as I can tell, the ability to re-grow organs, tissues etc. would make an awfully big difference to quality of life around the world.
No more people permanantly blinded.
Heart disease becomes fixable.
Lung cancer repairable.

I can see there's sort of arguments that 'things man wasn't meant to know' but I really don't think there's many places where that line could or should be drawn.

I've heard vague fears of people cloning themselves. And I don't see the problem with that either. I mean, it's not like you can grow a clone and do a brain transplant. That just doesn't work AFAIK. So what you've _effectively_ got is a x year younger identical twin.

It's certainly settle the 'nature vs. nurture' argument.

So would anyone care to enlighten me? Why would be cloning be 'wrong'?

Comments

[mhw.livejournal.com]

I don't get it either. The best argument against it that I know of at the moment is that we really know very little about very early mammalian development, and so most of the current technology is very much of the 'suck it and see' type. While a success rate of a few percent and possible developmental abnormalities in cloned animals may be acceptable, people may not feel the same about humans. It might - and I say might - be better to hold off on human cloning until we understand the processes involved rather better.