The idea of reproductive cloning has been part of science fiction stories for several generations. It has been presented as a way of being able to preserve the human race, have children when couples may be infertile, and the best way to take over an empire. In reality, there are several pros and cons of reproductive cloning that should be addressed before any decision is made. Let’s take a look at some of those advantages and disadvantages right now.
The Pros of Reproductive Cloning
1. It Could Help Same Sex Couples Have Children Without Donations
Both men and women in same-sex relationships require donor genetic material in order to have biological children. Through the reproductive cloning process, these couples could have children that are uniquely their own without the use of donated material and the cost of a potential surrogacy.
2. It Would Allow For Families To Have Another Child When The First Died Tragically
Whether it is from cancer or from a traffic accident, children die in tragic ways every day. Parents are left without redress. The reproductive cloning process would allow parents in this circumstance to have the choice of being able to clone another child from the genetic materials of the first to potentially alleviate some of their grief.
3. It May Save Animals From The Brink Of Extinction
Reproductive cloning does not have to apply to just humans. There may be other scientific application in the animal kingdom where it could be used as well. For animals like the giant panda, who are very close to extinction, the process of reproductive cloning could wind up saving the species.
The Cons of Reproductive Cloning
1. It Would Eliminate The Idea Of Individuality
Although reproductive cloning would be their own person, they would be a duplicate of another person already living. This would eliminate a certain sense of individuality and uniqueness that has always been integral to the human race. It would be like everyone having a younger identical twin.
2. It Is Currently In Unsafe Practice
In scientific studies of cloning, only 5% of the animals that have been cloned under clinical conditions have been considered a success. If applied to the human race, it would mean that there would only be a 5% live birth rate.
3. There Are Ethical Concerns To Think About
Reproductive cloning would make a species essentially asexual. Clones would not be like a brother or a sister. They would be like a duplicate person. There is an ethical concern that people created through this type of process may not have the same abilities to think or feel that biologically created humans would have.
Reproductive cloning is actually banned in several countries because of the ethics involved in the subject. A majority of people already believe that the practice is not acceptable. Even in weighing the pros and cons of it, there is still a lot of research which would need to be done and it would require a change in attitudes to accomplish that.
