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CC Embryo Protectors Flickr
Samuel Connelly
Human cloning and nuclear transplantation is one of the most heated debates of discussion right now
CC Embryo Protectors Flickr
Human cloning and nuclear transplantation is one of the most heated debates of discussion right now. Many scientists believe these cells hold the promise of curing diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries and cancer. Others, however say that cloning is a dark step towards a future where human life would be just as easily destroyed as it is saved.
This debate has turned into a hot political, social, and religious one, and everyone has something to say about it. 'Nuclear Transplantation' is another term for human cloning. It is a process where scientists denuclei an embryo and replaced the embryo with a different nuclei, the development process is then restarted, creating a new embryo while destroying one at the same time. This is where the discussions starts and opinions flare.
May 15th seen the first true cloning ban to be passed in a long time.
The Oklahoma legislature has unanimously approved a bill to prohibit all forms of human cloning, while Minnesota's governor has signed a bill prohibiting the use of state funds for human cloning.
Oklahoma's House of Representatives voted 83-0 for the measure May 15, and the Senate passed the bill with a 44-0 vote the same day, according to The Daily Oklahoman.
The legislation goes to Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat who vetoed a ban on embryonic stem cell research April 22. The extraction of stem cells from a human embryo for research purposes destroys the days-old human being.
The ban applies to cloning for both research and reproductive purposes. It is believed the University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute is seeking to produce clones for research, MCCL reported. Source: Baptist Press
Many feel that cloning crosses ethical lines
Matt Lauer, while co-hosting a debate on NBC's Today Show between senator Sam Brownback(Republican, Kansas) and senator Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania), asked Brownback why he felt this was 'deeply immoral', Brownback responded simply, "Well, because you're taking one human life, and you're subjecting it to the whims and desires of another, and we don't need to go this route." He went on to share what he felt the bigger issue was,"... shouldn't it be a legal debate first? I mean, what's the legal status of the young human? Is the young human a person or is it property? I mean, shouldn't we really first have that debate before we say, OK, we're going to start discarding, we're going to start destroying a number of these embryos. Shouldn't we have that debate?" 2001 NBC Today Show. Watch debate here.
This is an important step that reaches into the issues of cloning, stem cell research, and even abortion. We need to decided when a clump of cells becomes a person and no longer classified as someones property to be experimented on. It is a hot topic because so many are passionate about the possibilities of what this research could add to our future, while others are just as passionate about protecting all life and using other alternatives, like adult stem cells.
Rep. Pam Peterson, a Republican from Tulsa, said."The idea that we would allow the creation of human embryos through cloning crosses an ethical line and violates our most basic values,"
Bioethics specialist Wesley Smith applauded the bill's passage. "This is the first true human cloning ban to pass in a long time," Smith wrote on his weblog. "Unless the governor vetoes the bill and that veto is upheld, it looks like Oklahoma has pushed back against [the] brave new world."
MCCL (Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life) commended Pawlenty, a Republican, "Human life must be treated with dignity, not as mere raw material for experimentation."
"The latest bill offered by those in the Senate who support human cloning would ratify and endorse the mass production of human embryos as research material," Brownback said. "This will inevitably lead to the creation of human embryo farms where embryos will be grown to specification and then harvested for body parts." - Sam Brownback 2002 News Release
Although it sounds like science fiction, human cloning is the stranger-than-fiction topic on the table. Where do you stand? I want to know.
What do you feel about human cloning?
Is this an issue of morals and ethics: Is man playing God?
Do you feel your faith has an opinion for or against cloning?
I seen a headline recently that read: Human Cloning, Anything God can do we can do better. To that I have to laugh and remind you of the joke where a scientist came to God and said, "Well, we can make man now, I guess we have no real need for you anymore." To which God replied, "Well put your money where your mouth is, let's see it" Then he put the scientist in the middle of space all by himself, and the scientist said "What are you doing?" to which God replied, "You can't use any of my materials either."
Drop me a e-mail and let me know how you feel about this topic.
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