Is cloning “playing God?” The short answer is yes, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. By creating life and being able to control the characteristics that are expressed in humans and other organisms, a large benefit can be derived.
Humans have a knack for identifying problems and tinkering and tailoring until they find just the right solution. In the process they will more than likely stumble and wreak havoc. Cloning is a solution that has no question caused its fair share of uproar and more than one or many person or group has screamed from the rooftops that it is scientists and the medical community “playing God.” This is no doubt true. Cloning is the act of taking cells and recreating another being out of those cells. Variations of cloning can include manipulating genetic code as well. But is this not what medicine has been aiming to do for millennia? The aim is to eradicate diseases and illnesses and help everyone live the best life they possibly can.
Throughout human history there have been developments in science and technology all to improve the way life is experienced. Cloning can be another way life is improved as it can potentially be used to eradicate diseases and conditions that would put an unnecessary burden on an individual. Carleigh Fedorka from Horse Network states:
“But when your child has a genetic mutation that can lead to potentially fatal maladies such as Cystic Fibrosis, and you can change this by altering one gene within their genome, it sounds pretty amazing. And this is where the science gets tough, and I won’t delve too deep… In a nutshell, the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system allows us to cut, implant or replace genetic material that we want to change. (Fedorka)”
While looking into other opinions on the matter a website entitled SFGate argued that without a solid case against cloning the only logical choice is to regulate the act of cloning instead of outright banning it out of fear or because it may cause an uneasy feeling. If there is anything that can be taken away from studying human nature it is that if a person wants to do something, they will find a way to do it. America has been at the forefront of many of the world’s great advancements. This should not be an exception.
The Guardian provided more analysis by stating in part, “There’s no grand plan and no reason why nature shouldn’t, like the rest of us, occasionally make terrible mistakes. When those errors could lead to terrible human suffering, it is our duty to try to correct them (McFadden).” Further down the article, McFadden goes on to beg that genetic editing be considered the same as procedures such as Lasik eye surgery, or an operation a surgeon might perform on an infant just after birth to correct spina bifida. It makes sense and has a moral basis. The goal is the betterment of humanity.
Additionally, with the advent of cloning and genetic editing, the Food and Drug Administration has ruled that consuming product that is cloned or genetically edited is perfectly safe. This can be taken and the conclusion can be drawn that more consistency within the American diet can be achieved and, hopefully, a decrease in sickness due to the quality of the food which is ingested becomes a reality.
In conclusion, because life is being created and manipulated it is safe to say that cloning means playing God. Though that realization may be alarming and uncomfortable, it can come with many benefits and should be encouraged and fostered in the safest, most productive ways possible.
Works Cited
- Administration, The Food and Drug. Animal Cloning and Food Safety. 10 August 2018. 2019. <https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm148768.htm>.
- FEDORKA, CARLEIGH. Cloning, Genetic Engineering and “Playing God”. 2018. 2019. <https://horsenetwork.com/2018/01/cloning-genetic-engineering-playing-god/>.
- Holland, Suzanne. ‘Playing God’ with human cloning. 13 July 2001. 2019. <https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Playing-God-with-human-cloning-2899488.php>.
- McFadden, Johnjoe. Genetic editing is like playing God – and what’s wrong with that? 2 February 2016. 2019. <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/02/genetic-editing-playing-god-children-british-scientists-embryos-dna-diseases>.
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