Example 
Essay 

Creed Essay 

Argumentative  
Essay #2 
 

The only light source in the gloomily lit room was the faltering glow of the T.V screen, which changed the color of the wall every few seconds. On the screen, the reporter announced in a steady tone, " An embryologist at Roslin Institute in Sweden has successfully created a clone sheep from a cell of an adult ewe." The creation of Dolly, a cloned sheep has stirred controversial debates about the cloning around the world. Should governments restrict cloning? Is it ethical to create a human clone? These are some of the heated arguments discussed between the opposition and mainstream parties. If we do not want the very definition of human to be distorted, the government should enact laws to regulate cloning research. 

However, a common argument among those opposing the restriction of cloning is that cloning technology " may have many agricultural and medical benefits, including the development of medicines, therapies for diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and diabetes, and prospects for repair and regeneration of human tissues" (Clinton). Another widely held argument against the restriction of cloning is that scientists may be able to produce "headless human clones to grow organs and tissue for transplant"(Sunday Times). Another issue is that the restriction of cloning due to ethical and moral issues would "jeopardize the research for saving millions of lives" (Frist). Cloning may be one of the alternatives for the parents who cannot have a baby by any other means. On the contrary, disadvantages of cloning outweigh the advantages and restriction of cloning is necessary. 

It is possible that cloning may mutate new strains of diseases rather than producing remedies for existing diseases. About Dolly’s cloning, Mrs. Ruth Deech, chairman of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority states: 

" The age of Dolly’s DNA at birth was the same as the original sheep and so she might have a shorter life span or greater risk of cancer as a result" (UK News). 

Moreover, the team of the Roslin Institute and PPL Therapeutics required 277 attempts to clone Dolly. Dr Polkinghorne, member of the Human Genetics Advisory Committee described the cloning procedure as "an extremely dangerous and unsafe procedure". The idea of bringing dead geniuses or beloved family members back to life might seem wonderful, but could have serious and tragic consequences. Contradictorily, Stephen Grebe, an associate professor of biology at American University in Washington asked, " Do we want necessarily Einsteins and are we willing to accept the cost of so-called bad-copies? What about failed experiments" (CNN). Cloning a person is " an instrumental use of a person. People should value for themselves and not as replacements for others" (Polkinghorne). 

Cloning raises profound religious and ethical questions. Scottish scientist Ian Wilmut, of the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, the creator of famous Dolly, said, " to contemplate using our present technique (cloning technique) with humans would be quite inhuman." The scientist who is a human being creates another human, is equating himself to God’s Power. President Clinton stated that "Each human life is unique, born of a miracle that reaches beyond laboratory science. I believe we must respect this profound gift and resist the temptation to replicate ourselves?" No one has the right to own a person, a life form or parts of the human body for profit. Cloning would essentially create a life form, for profit, to serve the group who created it. Cloning technology has proven that human body parts may be cloned in the near future. Generating people for spare parts is unethical and an attempt to play God. Professor Andrew Linzey, an Oxford University animal ethicist said cloning is "creating other beings whose very existence would be to serve the dominant group." 

Socially, the American public does not trust cloning technology and prefers it be regulated. A recent US survey conducted by CNN found that 94% of US citizens agree with the restriction of cloning. The American public believes that scientists are willing to try anything that will advance science even if it will jeopardize ethical and social issues. Scientific research is not announced publicly and the public has no knowledge about it until a few months later or even longer. For instance, the cloning of Dolly was announced to the public only when Dolly was six months old. The American public is more concerned about the future than the present, unlike scientists who are willing to do anything in the name of science. "I’m far more concerned by tomorrow's headlines than today, and by the fact that most people are years behind reality when it comes to thinking through the impact of what is going to happen next"(Dixon). 

The issue of regulation of cloning should be dealt with careful discussion. Facts, figures, and statistics must be carefully revised by both sides in order to reach to the final decision of choosing the best way to benefit the human beings on the long run. Cloning is morally and spiritually unacceptable and its methods are highly unreliable. These disadvantages outweigh any benefits of cloning and prove that there is a necessity to regulate cloning research.