Human Cloning Pros and Cons

What started off as a major achievement in the field of biology, has become one of the most controversial issue in the world today. We are talking about human cloning - the process of creating a genetically identical copy of human. The entire world seems to be divided into two groups over the ethical issues of cloning - with one group comprising those people who advocate human cloning, and other comprising those who oppose it. So which group is right? Is human cloning a good idea or is it a recipe for disaster? In order to come up with a neutral opinion, you need to take the various human cloning pros and cons into consideration.

An Overview of Human Cloning

As we mentioned earlier, human cloning is the practice of creating genetically identical copy/copies of a person or cells and tissues of the person. The human cloning process is quite similar to the process in which identical twins are born to a couple. The major difference, though, is that the birth of identical twins is a natural process, while what we refer to as human cloning is an artificial process. Basically, human cloning can be grouped into two categories - human reproductive cloning, wherein a human clone is created, and therapeutic cloning, wherein human cells are cloned for use in medicine and research.

Human Cloning Pros and Cons 2010

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, and the process of human cloning is no exception at all. It is always wise to understand the positive and negative sides of the issue before coming up with an opinion on it. Irrespective of whether it is therapeutic cloning or human reproductive cloning, pros and cons of cloning given below have to be taken into consideration when trying to determine whether the process of human cloning is safe or not.

Human Cloning Pros
When it comes to animal cloning, the strongest argument that you are likely to hear is the fact that we can use this process to save several animal species from extinction. Similarly, the advocates of human cloning put forth the argument that human cloning will help to solve the infertility problems in humans. They also state that the process of organ transplantation will become much easier if human cloning is developed to its full potential. By resorting to therapeutic cloning the doctors will be able to replace damaged tissues and organs in the human body, and treat various diseases and disorders with ease. Similarly, genetic modification will have an all new meaning as parents will be able to choose the traits that they would like to see in their child. Those in support of cloning resort to all these human cloning benefits to suggest that this practice will be helpful for mankind.

Human Cloning Cons
While the advocates of human cloning are armed with several reasons to support their stand, the critics don't seem to be impressed at all. Human cloning critics are of the opinion that creating a human clone would mean interfering with the natural process of procreation. At the same time, one needs to also ponder upon the fact that if genes are modified to create smarter human beings by means of cloning, what would happen to the average humans who are not the products of this process. Critics also cite the fact that cloning will result in a huge divide among people, and clones will not be subjected to equal treatment. In a world full of divides on the basis of race and caste, we can't afford to have one more reason to add to the differences. The religious heads of different religious sects are of the opinion that human cloning will put forth man as the creator - which would be like challenging the authority of the supreme entity. In the history of cloning, more than 90 percent of the attempts to clone mammals have met with failure. Critics cite this and other such human cloning facts to highlight the risks of cloning.

That was the human cloning pros and cons list which has given rise to one of the most intricate question that the mankind has ever faced - is cloning good or bad? When it comes to therapeutic cloning pros and cons evaluation, the pros of this concept seem to have a slight advantage over its cons. There also exist concepts such as replacement cloning - wherein a clone of previously living person can be created, and persistence cloning - wherein the cloned body will be created to do away with the process of aging. However, these concepts are still on the paper and it's a bit too early to talk about them.