Human Cloning
True human cloning involves taking a somatic cell from a person and removing
its nucleus. Then the nucleus of a fertilized egg cell is removed
and placed
in the somatic cell. This is impossible in humans right now because the somatic
cells are specialized and there are many genes that
have been switched off in
them that we do not know how to turn them back on. This was done with frogs
however. The eggs were implanted
with the nuclei from the intestinal lining
of tadpoles. Most of these frogs died or grew into monsters. Of the ones that
did grow normally they
were sterile.
Embryo splitting or blastomere
separation is what is most commonly referred to as human cloning. Embryos in the
early stages of development
start to divide into cells called blastomeres.
The zona pellucida (a protective covering for the egg) is punctured or removed
and the blastomeres
are separated from each other. Each blastomere is then
covered with an artificial zona pellucida. Then each of the blastomeres starts
dividing
and becomes an embryo. This was attempted by Hall and Stillman in
1993. They used embryos that contained too much genetic information
and got
as far as 32-cell divisions in some the embryos. At this stage the embryo can be
implanted in the womb.
Another technique is nuclear transplantation. In
this process unspecialized embryonic cells are used and their nuclei are
removed. An embryo
in the 32-cell division stage has its blastomeres
separated and then the blastomere is fused with an egg cell by using an electric
current or
another method.
A possibility for human cloning that has
been proposed is that of the embryos that were cloned and not implanted would be
frozen for use in a
catalog. The child that was born from a cloned embryo
would have a picture taken of him/her and placed in a catalog along with a
description
of the child. Then prospective parents could choose the child
that they want, order its embryo, and implant it into the woman's womb.
Then
after nine months the couple would have their dream
child.
Something else that has been proposed is that a black market for
embryos would arise. In this situation infertile couples could buy a
cloned
embryo that was stolen or was to be discarded in order to have a
child. Embryo splitting could also be used to rid the world of
genetic
diseases. One could clone their embryo and test one of the clones for
a genetic disease. If the embryo tests positive then all of the clones
would
be destroyed. If the embryo tests negative for diseases then one of the clones
could be implanted to produce a healthy child.
Ethical
Aspects
There are many ethical questions that must be answered before
cloning becomes a reality. Many of these questions are difficult to
answer
because all of the facts are still unknown because cloning itself is
still in its early stages as a science.
Is Human cloning playing
God?
"And god said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and
let them have domain over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of
God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them,
and
God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the
earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over every thing that moveth
upon the earth... And God
saw everything that he made, and, behold, it was very good."
Genesis
1:26-28, 31
Well, alot of that depends on perspective religions. Many
believe that it is tampering with the work of God, but others believe that it is
a
miracle of science that will help infirtile couples live the dream of
having their own children.
Would you be willing to have a cloned
child?
Even if you or your spouse were infertile, there are still options
other than cloning. Why not adopt? With cloned children, it means that
there
will be other children exactly like the one you have scatered
throughout the world. With adoption, the child you have is still
unique.
Does "Brave New World" give an accurate vision for
cloning?
Amazingly, 65 years ago, Adolf Huxley was more accurate when it
comes to the actual processes of cloning, than the author of "Jurassic
Park".
Huxleys vision of the world is
questionable.