GROUP IV
The Social and Ethical Issues of
Cloning
By: Kirat Boparai, Gaurang Kumar, Priya Menon,
Maginda Magendrathajan, & Neera Sundaralingam
Background Information on
Cloning
What is cloning?
 Today, cloning would mean an "artificial,
identical genetic copy of an existing life form"
(UNESCO 2005)
Is cloning ONLY artificial?
 NO
 Identical twins are an example of natural cloning in humans.
 Cloning is also found in naturally in asexual organisms.
Organisms like hydra, earthworms and bacteria replicate by
cloning.
The Process of Artificial Cloning
 Stem cells are required for artificial cloning; adult cells
cannot be used
1. Take an unfertilized cell
2. Remove the nucleus - the cell becomes enucleated
3. Somatic cells are split up and removed from a cluster that
contains the cells of the donor
4. This is injected into the enucleated cell
5. The cell undergoes mitosis and becomes an embryo
6. The cell grows to become genetically identical to the donor
3 Types of Cloning
 DNA Cloning: transfer of DNA from one organism to
another asexual organism. It allows genetic diversity in
species such as bacteria. The tiny pieces of DNA, called
plasmids, are transferred through a bridge between the two
organisms.
 Reproductive Cloning: create a genetically identical
organism using the cells/DNA of another previously existing
animal
 Therapeutic Cloning: harvesting stem cells from embryos
to be used in treatments. It is used for understanding human
development and creating cures for diseases that harm body
cells (ex. leukemia). This is very controversial.
Examples of Reproductive Cloning
 The first cloning occurred with frogs (scientists Robert
Briggs and Thomas King)
 The next huge cloning success was Dolly the sheep (1997).
 After Dolly, animal cloning took a huge leap forward. There
have been cloned pigs, cats, dogs, mules.
The Ethical Issues of
Cloning
Ethical Issues
 Animal cruelty. All the testing for the cloning starts with
animals so that the chances of success are higher. However,
can it really be considered cruelty if it is still an embryo?
 Human cruelty. There is a huge controversy as to whether
embryos and fetus’ are actually human. Since they are not yet
born, can they be considered people?
Ethical Issues
 Some people believe that it is inhumane to take cells from a
growing embryo to use for cloning purposes. This is
considered to be murder.
 Most governments are of the same opinion and believe that
cloning humans is unethical.
Ethical Issues
 Genes make of 10% of DNA, the rest is just proteins and
structure. If the inserted gene is placed in the extra area, it
does not cause any problems. However, if the introduced
genes lands with the original genes, that's when problems
happen.
Ethical Issues
 Can humans simply create life because we want to? This is
very selfish. What happens when this new life is no longer
wanted?
 Will the clone be treated the same way as other people? How
will the family and society react?
Ethical Issues
 Normal twins face psychological problems and
identity crises. How would a clone feel? They were
created. What if they found out?
Ethical Issues
 The success rate is apparently very small (less than 1,000 to
1). Can we risk a life? The science is not perfect and
attempting a human clone is very risky.
 Clones often die early. They suffer 'old age' symptoms at
young ages and they may have memory problems. This could
affect their everyday life.
Ethical Issues- Future Consequences
 People will be encouraged to continue making copies of
themselves, if it becomes commercial. Less reproduction.
 Less familial ties. Encourages self-propogation. Decrease in
social skills?
 Designer babies? Genetically modified to suit our own tastes?
 Deformations, mutations, abortions? Severe loss of human
life.
The Social Issues of
Cloning
Social Issues
 People fear that it is going against nature to "create life". This
is not just for religious reasons, there are also social
implication for it.
 How about the affects on the parents, family members and
friends? How will they respond to the clone? Will the clone
feel alienated?
Social Issues
 There is a clash between the people who believe that science
was discovered for advancement, and others who believe in
leaving nature to make its own course.
 There have been many rumours that scientists are beginning
to create cloned humans for experimental purposes. That
frightens the general public.
Social Issues
 Different genes provide humans with
diversity. Diversity from two different
types of genes give humans the adaptive
skills and stay protected from illnesses
and diseases. This is what makes it
possible for our immune systems to
develop and not be harmed by our
environments. Clones have identical
genes, subjecting them to less protection
from illnesses and hindering their ability
to adapt.
Social Issues
 In reproductive cloning, all beings of the species will be
identical, meaning that each being is at risk of being
infected by the same type of pathogen (a diseaseproducing agent like a virus or bacteria), So if that
pathogen comes along, no one will be able to defend
against it.
 For example, if we were cloning humans, this sort of
situation could be detrimental and cause great disasters
 If the same genotype is being cloned then that same
genotype would keep reproducing among themselves,
leading to extinction
Social Issues
 Infertile couples would clone babies for children, but whose
parent gene would be used to make the child? This would
lead us to decide which is more important, the mother or the
father?
 Society will encounter many difficulties in treating a cloned
child
 The government rejected cloned food because it was
considered “artificial”. How would the FDA react to
artificially created humans?
Social Issues
 Clones of transgenic animals are intended to be bred which
could act as surrogate mothers for human babies a human
reproduction would take on the character of
manufacture devalues human life
 Men would no longer be necessary in reproduction. This
would lead to huge social problems.
 Transgenic pigs would probably be a better source of human
organs for transplant, but debrained human clones could be
of great benefit for pharmaceutical companies wanting
humanoid models for testing of experimental drugs.
Statistics & Interesting facts
Statistics & Interesting Facts
Low success rates. Dolly was
the only one out of 277
clones who lived. She is the
first successfully cloned
mammal. This is extremely
unethical considering that
the chances of survival are
so slim. The person who
cloned Dolly, Professor Ian
Wilmut, decided that cloning
will not be useful for
medicinal purposes.
Statistics & Interesting Facts
In 2002, scientists at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical
Research discovered that in cloned mice, 4% of 1000 cells
did not function normally. The cells were not mutated, but
the genes were not expressed in the normal way.
Statistics & Interesting Facts
November 2001, a
biotechnology
company cloned
human embryos for
therapeutic research
for the first time.
Statistics & Interesting Facts
It is common for
cloned offspring
to experience
Large Offspring
Syndrome (the
clone is oversized and has
many disabilities:
physical and
psychological)
Statistics & Interesting Facts
 "A person who places in a woman a human embryo
which has been created otherwise than by fertilisation
is guilty of an offence."
Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001
 95% of all cloning trials do not work
 In South Korea, they gathered 242 eggs from women.
They used chemicals to stimulate mitosis. They
gathered 30 blatocysts (100 cell clusters) which had
identical DNA to the donors. They plan on using this
method for therapeutic uses. Since the cells are
genetically identical, they are less likely to be rejected
by the immune system of the patient.
Bibliography
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