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Lauren Reed

Ms. Gardner

English/ Per. 4

2 May 2018

The Cloning Conflict

On July 5, 1996, a sheep named Dolly was born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland and

was the first successfully cloned mammal, the article, “First Successful Cloning of a Mammal,”

reveals. This scientific achievement and discovery set the public into a whirl of controversy.

Should animal cloning be authorized or banned? The “Cloning Fact Sheet,” found on National

Human Genome Research Institute, notes that cloning “describes a number of different processes

that can be used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity.” To some, animal

cloning is disrupting nature, while others believe it benefits our world in many scientific ways.

Cloning animals should be permitted to help the human race and animals, such as improving the

production of livestock, saving endangered species, and leading the research on rare, incurable

diseases.

Many argue there are many risks associated with the unnatural process of cloning

animals. For one, the article “Pros and Cons of Animal Cloning” adds that a problem with animal

cloning is the cost. Many believe it is not reasonable and “making use of this process for

everyday things could be quite an expensive endeavor.” Additionally, they question the safety of

the products that the animals produce such as “the meats, furs, and milk” since cloning has been

somewhat recently introduced to the science world. Lastly, they hold the belief that cloning takes

“the role of God” and question the morality of the matter. The opposing view alleges “it is
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creating a duplicate of something that there should only be one of on this earth” (“Pros and Cons

of Animal Cloning”). The nation may think of cloning as an unnatural practice where the animals

are initially treated as things instead of the delicate creatures they are, Paul Thompson, the W.K.

Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food, and Community Ethics at Michigan State University,

explains (qtd. Scott Nolen). Additionally, the article, “Ethics,” proposes that a recent study

shows “64 percent of Americans think cloning is “morally wrong.”’ In summary, many conclude

that cloning is morally incorrect, too high in cost, and unsafe. Certainly, the opposers view

cloning as a harmful, nonbeneficial act. However, cloning should be permitted because of its

advantages: enhancing breeding methods, saving endangered species, and curing

diseases/disorders.

Indeed, there is a high price and uncertainty of safety that comes with cloning and its

products. Despite these uncertainties, there are several benefits of cloning including improving

the quality of products that can be obtained from scientifically engineered livestock. Blake

Russell, the president of ViaGen, states:

ViaGen Livestock is proud to be a worldwide leader in animal genetic preservation and

cloning. We’ve successfully cloned thousands of farm animals and preserved the genes of

thousands more. Working in collaboration with our parent company, Trans Ova Genetics,

we bring over three decades of expertise in assisted reproductive technologies to meet the

needs of our clients.

This statement reveals that cloning is beneficial to farmers and the agricultural world as they are

able to perfect their products that are produced. Cloning does seem to come with a high price,

however, improving agriculture is worth the cost.

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Not only are scientists able to better breeding with cloning, but they can also use cloning

to help innocent endangered species. Carl Zimmer, an award-winner New York Times

columnist, acknowledges that the idea of cloning or bringing back an extinct species has

“hovered at the boundary between reality and science fiction for more than two decades.” The

conception of cloning has been around since the movie, ​Jurassic Park​, which debuted on June

11, 1993. Just a short three years went by and cloning became a reality to the world. According

to Steve Connor, an award-winning science journalist, “an extinct species of mountain goat

called the Pyrenean ibex, or bucardo has been resurrected by scientists who had managed to

create a clone of it with the help of domestic goats.” Although this extinct goat did not make it

after being born, no one had ever tried cloning an extinct species. In 2001 this changed.

Scientists successfully generated a cloned endangered species—the European mouflon, a small

wild sheep, stated Bijal P. Trivedi, an award-winning freelance journalist. After being born, this

wild sheep survived for more than seven months. Furthermore, the cloning of the wild sheep

comes to show that the science of cloning is improving and could potentially help a wide range

of species like tigers, Asian elephants, blue whales, and many more from becoming extinct. If

cloning could save hundreds of species from dying out, why should it be banned?

Ultimately, cloning should be permitted because in the very near future it could likely

lead scientists to find cures for diseases and disorders. John Harris, an artist, and illustrator,

confirms two monkeys, Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, were born November 27 and December 5 in

2017. “The female long-tailed macaques,” reports Andy Coghlan, a New Scientist journalist,

“represent a technical milestone. It should make it possible to create customizable and

genetically uniform populations of monkeys, which could speed up treatments for diseases such
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as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer.” Coghlan spoke further about these two cloned monkeys

who hold the ability to find treatments for disorders/diseases. Animal cloning, like the

long-tailed macaques, will allow “doctors to watch how specific treatments affect the genetic

makeup of animals,” Andrew Griffin, a technology editor, and science reporter verifies. This

statement confirms that with cloning there will not only be the possibility of curing human

diseases/disorders but also animals. Not to mention, the National Academy of Sciences and

Institute of Medicine Committee reveals, treatments for heartworm (in dogs), therapy for cholera

(in hogs), and “diagnostic and preventive techniques for brucellosis and tuberculosis in cattle”

are available treatments because of animal research. Cloned animals that potentially hold the

possibility to cure diseases may just completely free our world from unwanted deaths due to

diseases. Therefore, cloning animals to develop cures for human/animal diseases could change

the world.

Saving endangered species, improving breeding and livestock, and finding cures to

diseases are all reasons why cloning should be permitted. Animal cloning will help society and

nature in a number of ways. Think about the livestock that can be genetically modified and

cloned in order to enhance the species so that there are no mutations and to create the best quality

animal by-products. Think about all of the innocent, endangered species that are years, months,

or even days away from being extinct. Soon it will be like they were never even here. Lastly,

think about the 350 million humans (“RARE Diseases: Facts and Statistics”) that are unsure of

how long they will live because of a rare, incurable disease. To all who are opposed to animal

cloning, does a costly procedure and not being “morally correct” come to compete with

potentially finding the cure for cancer, saving species from dying out, and improving breeding?
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Works Cited

“Cloning Fact Sheet.” ​National Human Genome Research Institute​ (NHGRI), 21 Mar. 2017,

www.genome.gov/25020028/cloning-fact-sheet/​.

Coghlan, Andy. “Scientists Have Cloned Monkeys and It Could Help Treat Cancer.” ​New

Scientist​,

www.newscientist.com/article/mg23731623-600-scientists-have-cloned-monkeys-and-it-

could-help-treat-cancer/.

Connor, Steve. “The Big Question: Could Cloning Be the Answer to Saving Endangered Species

from Extinction?” ​The Independent​, Independent Digital News and Media, 3 Feb. 2009,

www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-big-question-could-cloning-be-the-answer-to-s

aving-endangered-species-from-extinction-1543657.html.

“Ethics.” ​Ethics : End Animal Cloning​, www.endanimalcloning.org/ethics.shtml.

“First Successful Cloning of a Mammal.” ​History.com​, A&E Television Networks, 2010,

www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-successful-cloning-of-a-mammal.

Griffin, Andrew. "First Monkeys Cloned using Dolly the Sheep Technique."​ The Independent

(Daily Edition)​, 25 Jan, 2018, pp. 8​. SIRS Issues Researcher​, ​https://sks.sirs.com​.

Harris, John. "We have Nothing to Fear about Cloning Humans."​ Telegraph.co.uk.​, 25 Jan, 2018,

pp. n/a​. SIRS Issues Researcher​, ​https://sks.sirs.com​.

National Academy of Sciences (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Use of

Animals in Research. “SCIENCE, MEDICINE, AND ANIMALS.” ​Science, Medicine,

and Animals.​, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1991,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223354/.
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Nolen, Scott. “ The Ethics Debate over Animal Cloning.” ​The Ethics Debate over Animal

Cloning​, 1 Feb. 2007, www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/070215b.aspx.

“Pros and Cons of Animal Cloning.” ​HRFnd​, 24 Apr. 2015,

healthresearchfunding.org/pros-cons-animal-cloning/.

“RARE Diseases: Facts and Statistics.” ​Global Genes​, 29 Mar. 2017,

globalgenes.org/rare-diseases-facts-statistics/.

Russell, Blake. “Cloning Livestock, Cloning Cattle, Cloning Cows, Cloning Animals.” ​ViaGen​,

www.viagen.com/livestock/.

Trivedi, Bijal P. “Scientists Clone First Endangered Species: a Wild Sheep.” ​National

Geographic​, National Geographic Society, 29 Oct. 2001,

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1025_TVsheepclone.html.

Zimmer, Carl. "Bringing them Back to Life."​ National Geographic​, Apr, 2013, pp. 28-43​. SIRS

Issues Researcher​, ​https://sks.sirs.com​.