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Cloning People
Name: Angel
Status: Student
Grade: 6-8
Location: MD
Country: United States
Date: January 2006
Question:
Why do scientists want to clone people?
Replies:
I don't think "scientists" want to clone people. There are probably a few
people who would wish to do so...but they are not necessarily "scientists".
pf
Angel,
This topic has huge ethical issues with just about everyone. Cloning
the whole person does not seem to be of any use.
There could be benefits to
repairing tissues if you could take your own cells and make a new ear
by cloning for example. A human ear has been cloned using mice.
http://www.globalchange.com/clone_index.htm
This is not cloning the whole person, but if you could use your very
own cells to replace tissues, your body will not reject them and they
will fit perfectly into the person's body design. We are not to the
point where we can produce a new heart or other organs, but with stem
cell and cloning research, we may be able to see this in the next
century or so. I have to point out that science is not able to do any
of this today, but with current research we are beginning to
understand how the body is able to develop tissues and organs in the
right places and in coordination with other tissues.
The public opinion may not permit any of this to happen, but it does
seem possible someday to be able to replace arms, fingers, and maybe
even hearts; and this would be done by cloning these particular parts.
Steve Sample
I don't think very many scientists want to clone people. What some
would like to be able to do is clone certain organs that could be used
as replacement parts for diseased or damaged organs.
I'm sure there a few unethical scientists that would like to be able
to clone a person so they could charge some rich person a lot of money
to satisfy their egotistical desire to reproduce themselves.
Ron Baker, Ph.D.
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Update: June 2012
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