Is Cloning Ethical Or Unethical

There was a time when the thought of cloning a person was only something imagined in a science fiction movie. But today what was once science fiction has a possibility to become a reality. The question becomes, “Is cloning ethical or unethical?” To answer that question one must first have a good understanding of what cloning is, how it is done, and the possible long-term ramification. A current definition of cloning is “a person or animal produced asexually from the genetic material of a single human parent” (A.G., 2001). This definition means that the cell from one donor is taken and reprogramed to grow into a new individual. This reprograming of cells has already been accomplished with a cloned sheep named Dolly. Since Dolly, there have been other animals cloned. Although a human clone has not been produced at this point, it is likely that human cloning will be a reality in the near future. The process that makes this possible is called somatic-cell nuclear transfer. This is a process where scientists take the nucleus of a cell and inject it into an egg, which results in an embryo. The embryo is then placed in the womb of a female host and carried to term (Green, 1999). In the scenario, there is no need for two parents,

Even though some may frown on the cloning of animals for the sole use of science, most would consider this acceptable. Animals could also be cloned to meet the consumer demand for animals for food, hides for clothing, and other products. But why not humans cloning for the same purposes to meet human demands; if someone needed a kidney transplant to live and could clone themselves with a healthy kidney would that be the ethical thing to do? If someone’s child had a life-threatening disease and a clone could either produce a cure or even replace the child, would that be