The Cloning debate - is it just abortion?

[Ganonator]

I was in my monday night chat discussion group (i.e. me and somebody from the east coast that like to argue) and we came upon a good point. The underlying reason that cloning is looked down upon is the fact that for the ones that don't turn out, they end up aborted fetuses. .. so the debate is on abortion again.

Then I face the connundrum - i'm for cloning, but not for abortion

thoughts??

[MottZilla]

It seems the only benifits to cloning aren't even being aimed for though. The best use of cloning would be to grow individual organs for those who deserve them and are in need. Oh well. Cloning really is a poor concept at the moment. It's not very useful.

And you are for genetic experimentation.... but not for failure of it? That doesn't make any sense. In cloning they've created plenty of lifeforms doomed to die from defects and they aren't gonna slow down. By now I'm sure someone has tried cloning a human and probably made a hideous poor creature that's dead now. Science is based on trial and error.

[Ganonator]

I feel that the sacrifice now may lead to a better future even if we don't see it. I understand the risks involved of failure, and that's why it is such a touchy subject. Its not a perfect art - and it won't be for a very long time.

As for organ growing, i believe that that is one aspect of it. But there are plenty others for testing out. A clone could be given a different lifetime to determine whether or not they end up with schizophrenia/alzheimers/etc like the original person. Is homosexuality inborn?? You can find it out this way too. The possibilities are endless, and even more directable than identical twins.

[MottZilla]

Identical twins are the only successful clones of humans currently.

Next, so you want to make guinie pigs of people with an accelerated life cycle solely to watch how it dies to know in advanced if you are gonna die of some disease? That's sick.

Don't expect anyone to be making human clones with accelerated life cycles, anytime soon...

[Ganonator]

Did I say anything about accellerated life cycles?? no.. when everything is made correctly, they can live full, productive lives. They don't need to see their file, or know what's in it. If it can alter the way other's live for the better, how can somebody say no?? religion does play a big role in this afterall.

[J.J. Maxx]

I don't understand all of this cloning debate. I mean, all they are doing is starting a pregnancy with some pre-set characteristics. It gets born just like a normal baby and 99 times out of 100 wont even look like the cloned person. And it definitely won't have the same thoughts, memories, beliefs... It's a completely different person being born and we've been doin that forever. So what's the big deal? :shrug:

[Starkist]

The reason it is controversial is because the survival rate for each attempt is a very low percentage. Also, even if they do succeed there is no telling what defects the clone would have. When cloned sheep are born, it is news. However they do not tell you about the fact that the sheep aged faster and was sterile. :shrug: