The Potential Benefits of Human Cloning

Human cloning is a very disputed topic among many individuals living in today's world. However, the future of it is bright due to the many benefits that it can bring forth. Such as, cures for genetic diseases, prevention and protection against genetic diseases, medical advances, hope for infertile couples, and many other benefits that will be discussed in this essay. According to Manipulating the Human Genome by Jill U. Adams, genetic manipulation of human embryos is prohibited by 29 countries, but not the United states, and ethicist and scientists are calling for a worldwide ban or moratorium of such procedures until such procedures are better understood (Adams 2015). Although it is totally understandable to take time to figure out exactly how to implement human cloning into the future, there is no need to ban such procedures that could have such a positive impact in the future. Of course, humans are not ready to jump straight into the process of human cloning, but gradually practicing it may build towards a greater understanding that could change the world (for the better) in future generations.

Dietrich Egil, a stem cell biologist at the New York Stem Cell foundation states that he is very confident that such cells will be used for therapies in humans in the future (Rosen 2013). When used responsibly, the benefits that human cloning could bring forth outweigh the cons that non- supporters may believe. Some scientists argue that responsibly using the techniques of human cloning could help humankind by eliminating certain genetic diseases and disorders (Adams 2015). Diseases, like cancer and HIV, that are currently viewed as incurable, could someday be a disease that is no longer a threat to mankind, thanks to the techniques of human cloning. According to Susan Ladika's Medical Breakthroughs, more than 53 million Americans have a physical disability, and nearly 50 million suffer from heart disease or cancer, the leading causes of death in the United States. Another 6.5 million have had a stroke, and more than 5 million have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (Ladika 2017). Imagine the issues regarding physical disabilities, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease becoming matters of the past due to human cloning. It is not hard to see that human cloning has many positive promises for the future of mankind.

Scientists have been working around the clock to try and find a cure for deadly diseases like cancer and HIV. With the help of human cloning, finding a cure would no longer be a dream, but instead it would become a reality. We're entering a new frontier in medical innovation with the ability to reprogram a patient's own cells to attack a deadly cancer, said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb (Ladika 2017). Mutant genes are usually the cause of deadly diseases, but new genetic technologies allow scientists to delete a mutant gene and insert a healthy one, which someday may enable doctors to banish disease genes (Adams 2015). Several millions of people suffer from diseases in the world and have no hope for living past a certain number of years. Human cloning could bring hope to these individuals and give them a second chance at life, disease-free. Many people may think that simply taking a bad gene out and replacing it with a new one seems impossible, but Chinese scientists had used a new gene-editing technology called CRISPR, which allows them to edit the genomes of living cells by cutting out one gene and replacing it with another (Adams 2015). According to Susan Ladika, many breakthroughs that may seem like fiction are rapidly becoming reality, such as editing genes of human embryos to erase disease; enabling paralyzed people to walk by fitting them with a robotic exoskeleton; using the body's immune system to cure cancer (Ladika 2017).

Not only will human cloning help find cures for once incurable diseases, it will also help prevent and protect against genetic diseases. Craig Mello, a Nobel laureate and professor of genetics at the University of Massachusetts, Worcester said, In the distant future, I could imagine that altered germlines would protect humans against cancer, diabetes and other age-related problems (Adams 2015). Prevention and protection against genetic diseases are just as important of ridding diseases that have already inhibited an individual's body. Human cloning will also have the ability to prevent a genetic disease from gaining contact with a person's body. Correcting defects by cutting out a mutated gene and inserting a functional one in its place at the embryonic stage could remove the threat of a child developing that disease. It also could prevent it from being passed on to future generations (Adams 2015). The ability to prevent a child from inheriting a disease before it even comes out of the womb is an amazing power to have and human cloning is building towards a future where such a thing is very possible. Scientists claim that if the technique of human cloning proves to be safe and effective, it could ultimately prevent people from being born with many diseases they might have otherwise inherited (Ladika 2017). Scientists that support a future with human cloning in it can see the many breakthroughs that could come from introducing it into the world. One scientist by the name of Guping Feng, a professor of neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says, if changing a defective gene in a human embryo is beneficial, if it prevents genetic disease, there's no reason not to use it (Adams 2015).

In addition, the future of human cloning promises many medical advances that could help many people in need. As stated in Human Cloning Advance Raises Personalized Medicine Hopes, Dietrich Egli, a stem cell biologist at the New York Stem Cell foundation says, embryotic stem cells have the potential to treat spinal cord injuries and diseases such as diabetes or Parkinson's (Rosen 2013). With the use of treating and preventing genetic diseases and the introduction of new medical advances, human cloning could be a huge step to improving the lives of people in the future. Another form of medical advances is the improvement of supplying organs to people in need. In today's world, organ transplants are not always possible due to the lack in supply of certain organs that are needed, resulting in a person in need either dying or remaining extremely sick. By utilizing human cloning, as claimed in Human Cloning: Let's Discuss It, there are medical benefits, such as replacement organs, less chance for rejection with transplants, and decrease in the spread of disease (Taras 1999). Also, birth defects are a fear among many couples expecting a child, but with the help of human cloning techniques, birth defects could be detected in the womb and certain measures could be taken to prevent the child from being born with the defects. By practicing the techniques of human cloning, scientists could conceivably make customized therapy that erases defects (Rosen 2013). As mentioned before, embryonic stem cells have great potential for the future of human cloning and if cloned human cells could be made to grow into normal embryos, the technique could supply fresh stocks of embryonic stem cells (Rosen 2013).

Imagine how couples in this world that can't conceive a baby of their own must feel. Human cloning could make these couples' dreams come true by making this possible for them. Human cloning could take genes from both parents, regardless of gender or fertility, and create a child with both parents' genes. The thought of having a child with a set of genes from both parents when the parents do not have the ability to naturally do so is an amazing possibility. Think of couples of the same genders or couples where one partner is infertile. These couples must go through other lengths to conceive a child and the child won't even be a biological representation of both parents. According to Loretta Taras, cloning provides a way for couples who are unable to conceive to have a child that is their own flesh and blood (Taras 1999). Many women hope to have a child, but complications can occur that prevent them from being able to. One of these issues may be the amount of eggs that they are born with. Kathy A. Fackelmann's article, Cloning Human Embryos states, women who produce one egg have a 10 percent chance of a successful pregnancy (Fackelmann 1994). If researchers could multiply a single egg, the pregnancy rate would increase dramatically (Fackelmann 1994). This would mean that women who once had trouble conceiving would be provided a solution for their troubles. Human cloning is a significant advance that promises new hope for infertile couples (Fackelmann 1994).

Among the significant benefits already discussed, there are also several other benefits to human cloning. For example, human cloning could help future mothers that have complications during birth ensure that they have a successful live birth. Jill U. Adam's article mentions that Chinese researchers reported they had altered the genomes of monkey embryos and brought two of them to successful live births (Adams 2015). By using the same techniques as the Chinese scientists, manipulating the genomes of human embryos could provide the same results. Another benefit of human cloning deals with bringing back a loved one. Human cloning would be able to provide relatives and friends with your duplicate when you die (Taras 1999), or the other way around if someone you care for passes away. This could help cope with the pain of losing someone significant. Another possibility of human cloning, though it doesn't help humans directly, would be to help other species on this Earth. Human cloning technology could be used to prevent extinction of endangered species around the globe (Taras 1999). It is obvious to see that Human cloning promises many positive outcomes for the future of this world.

In conclusion, human cloning has become a very controversial topic among scientists and individuals due to opposing views on the ethics of such a practice. However, the benefits and future promises that human cloning could offer, makes it clear to see that it could change the world for the better. From the curing and prevention of genetic diseases to solving infertility issues, human cloning has a wide range of benefits for many people in the world. Thanks to the research of Jill U. Adams, Megan Rosen, Susan Ladika, Loretta Taras, and Kathy A. Fackelmann, it is clear to see that the future of human cloning is bright. When weighing the pros and cons of human cloning, it is obvious to see that the benefits of human cloning outweigh the costs.

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