The Pros And Cons Of Therapeutic Cloning

On the other hand, those who support therapeutic cloning argue against the accusations from non-supporters that this type of cloning destroys human life. According to the same article above written by Charlotte Kfoury, the advocates for embryo research, like therapeutic cloning, state that if left untouched the embryos used could not develop into a “mature organism”. They also state that if the embryo was transferred to the womb, implantation could not occur if it had reached a certain stage in development (Kfoury). This means that the embryos used have no possibility of becoming a human being unless implanted before a certain stage of development. Besides, if implanted, the cloning type would be reproductive, not therapeutic. Kfoury continues

The artefact produced in the laboratory is not even a pre-embryo but only a quasi-pre-embryo, because it’s genetic potential to develop into a complete human—its totipotency—is only virtual” (Tannert). Meaning that the embryos used are not even full embryos sometimes and therapeutic cloning is not meant to create full-fledged human beings. Tannert also stated that “[t]hese cloned artefacts are not to be implanted into a woman's uterus and they are unable to achieve this under their own power, as are genuine pre-embryos. These artificial cell cumuli are only allowed ethically, and in some countries even by law, to provide knowledge as well as stem cells for research and therapeutic purposes, and nothing else” (Tannert). This means that therapeutic cloning is not immoral because it is not used to create a person and has no potential to become a person outside of implanting the embryo within the uterus, which would be reproductive cloning, not

Therapeutic cloning offers many promising benefits in regenerative medicine and in gene therapy. From “Therapeutic Cloning: Promises and Issues” written by Charlotte Kfoury, “therapeutic cloning used in cell replacement therapy has the potential to create various types of tissues such as osteoblasts to counteract osteoporosis, and spinal cord regeneration following trauma…The resulting recovery of motility could lead to clinical applications for paralysis in humans through therapeutic cloning” (Kfoury). The research done with this type of cloning has potential to cure what most would believe incurable now-a-days. Kfoury goes on to explain that “the combination of gene therapy and therapeutic cloning has exciting potential for the genetic rescue of missing alleles in heritable genetic disorders” (Kfoury). She gives the example of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), a disease that mutates specific genes which “render[s] the immune system completely inefficient” (Kfoury). In simpler words, therapeutic cloning can be used in gene therapy to help fix genetic disorders that had detrimental effects on the individual. I believe that this is the most important benefit that therapeutic cloning provides because before this type of cloning existed or its connection with gene therapy, there was nothing that doctors could do to