“Ethics and Morality based upon Cloning”
A review of the literature review on ethical perspective of cloning
David Gonzalez
ENGL 21003: Writing for the Sciences
Professor Brittany Zayas
March 26, 2023
Introduction
In the world of science, there has always been the idea of ethics and what is proper to be conducted. When asking yourself what is right and what is wrong, it eventually falls into us to identify what is ethically and moral right. When regarding to the topic of cloning is has been a very controversial topic to say the least. We are often brought upon this battle between science and human ethics and whether a line should be drawn within this idea of potential human cloning in the future. In the last twenty to twenty-five years the idea of cloning went from being a concept of a science fiction movie to becoming a reality within the science community
Within this literature review, the sources will help identify on whether there is a standpoint within the science community and the human society and how there could be a potential miscommunication within the science community and those of us being part of the rest of society. As we proceed we will see the several standpoints of such science community and those who see Cloning as a negative impact towards life and basic human ethics and almost a potentially way of intertwining without having to go at each other.
This study reviews the morality and ethics behind cloning and how there could be a negative or positive side effect within the world and also within the science community
The beginning of Cloning
Cloning has been an idea that has always left the science community in awe and amazed. The possibility of artificially fabricating something that is living one day and even into something that is more connected to humans is something that was unheard of until the moment that the science world took a bigger turn and changed the perception of cloning. Such event was due to the creation of Dolly the sheep and the cloning process that came to happen.
In Human cloning and the myth of disenchantment by Laurentiu Staciu, we are able to see understand the concept of cloning and how the first successful event occurred and the ideas behind of what cloning really. In this article, we are able to see how that ” cloning is a process whereby an identical genetic copy of a particular organism is created. As a result of this process, the DNA of the two organisms, the donor of the genetic material, and the clone, will be identical.” (Staciu) In this piece of evidence we are able to understand why there might be some controversies behind the creation and implementation of cloning. This ability to clone others without the process of natural doing so. With how Dolly the Sheep was cloned in 1997, it was bound to stir up the basic ideology of human nature and what is ethical right or what is simply wrong. In the text it later says how “the announcement provoked genuine hysteria in the mass media, the academic community, and even legislative forums around the world. commentators were quick to speculate about the possibility of cloning a human.” (Staciu) This allows for the audience to understand the two perspectives that are being presented within these articles, that being up to what point do we cloning in a general sense ethical or not.
Ethics regarding to cloning
In Birtek and Kemloglu (2019) we are able to understand more in depth about the argument of the cloning in general and how there is an opposition with the scientific community and the religious community. In such text we are able to see how “For this reason, Catholics have supported stem cell studies for organ reproduction while strongly objecting to the cloning of an embryo for research purposes. (Birtek, Kemloglu [28]) We can see that this idea of cloning and there is a line that many religious groups are not willing to cross. The idea of cloning and using it for more than just human life recreation is something that has created a disturbance within society.
We also see this issue regarding to morality and the dispute between these two communities. In the article Ethical issues of human cloning we are once again seeing this idea based upon whether it is right or wrong for cloning got simply exist. In which the authors speak upon how “US President Clinton banned the funding related to being given to the trials on human beings cloning and asked the Advisory Commissions to report about the views of peoples within 90 days, as it was a tough job due to confliction in moral and ethical values” (Narullah, Iqbal, Bibi, Muneer, Bibi, Anwar) We can see how this issue has reached upon a political dilemma and how there is involvement of governmental officials to not allow for any type of cloning based upon human research to be conducted. This shows how for the most part those who uphold the idea of how it is unethical for cloning especially human cloning to not be conducted are going directly to the facts that those in the scientific community are trying to present to us. This in a way does also create a dilemma as it prevents those within such scientific community to be suppressed for such ideology. Also similar ethical value is presented to us in the text titled Overseeing research on therapeutic cloning: a private ethics board responds to its critics which also presents us the idea of how it essential to have a board and a external group that is able to keep accountability that things are being doing proper and that there is no issues when it comes to cloning research and projects being done ethical correct. This still brings us to the issues on how something could be determined that it is ethically correct and whether it is not.
Conclusion
Overall, we are capable of seeing the full-on debate that the idea of cloning is brought up on. This literature review should allow for us to understand properly and the literature provided as to how we can declare what is ethically right and what is not. It allows for us to understand that cloning in a sense is not bad unless regulations and overview of such projects are not maintained, whether that is publicly or not. It allows for the rest of society to determine whether it should be considered ethical or not.
Sources
Kemaloglu, C. A., & Birtek, F. (2019). A General Evaluation of Stem Cell Studies and Human Cloning from the Ethical, Faith, and Legal Perspective. Turkish Journal of Plastic Surgery, 27(1), 3+. https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A581623371/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=5ce9b269
Staicu, L. (2012). Human cloning and the myth of disenchantment. Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 11(31), 148+. https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A350577135/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=a61831c3
Nasrullah, Iqbal, R., BiBi, S., Muneer, S., BiBi, S., & Anwar, F. (2020). Ethical issues of human cloning. Journal of Medical Sciences, 40(3), 103. https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A625112887/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=5f452d94
Green, R. M., DeVries, K. O., Bernstein, J., Goodman, K. W., Kaufmann, R., Kiessling, A. A., Levin, S. R., Moss, S. L., & Tauer, C. A. (2002). Overseeing research on therapeutic cloning: a private ethics board responds to its critics. The Hastings Center Report, 32(3), 27+. https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A88248057/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=e35edc43
