CLONING
Cloning is a sensitive topic how much more human cloning. It is a topic that needs to be addressed because of our technological and scientific development. For the moment, it is not the concern of the general public but to divert from the reality of life will be disastrous in the future. To deal with the said issue we must consider the development of science and the faith of one’s religion. As a Roman Catholic priest, my reflection will weigh these two with the best judgment I could offer.
First we have to be aware that cloning either human or not must be presented in three different types, embryo cloning, adult DNA cloning and therapeutic cloning. To discuss this matter with fairness the following description was taken from this site. This site promotes cloning http://www.religioustolerance.org/cloning.htm.
Embryo cloning (a.k.a.
Artificial Twinning): This is a
medical technique which produces monozygotic (identical) twins or triplets. It
duplicates the process that nature uses to produce twins or triplets. One or
more cells are removed from a fertilized embryo and encouraged to develop into
one or more duplicate embryos. Twins or triplets are thus formed, with identical
DNA. This has been done for many years on various species of animals; only very
limited experimentation has been done on humans.
Adult
DNA cloning: (a.k.a cell nuclear
replacement) This technique produces a duplicate of an existing animal. It
has been used to clone a sheep and other mammals. The DNA from an embryo is
removed and replaced with the DNA from an adult animal. Then, the embryo is
implanted in a womb and allowed to develop into a new animal. It has not been
tried on humans. It has the potential of producing a twin of an existing person.
Therapeutic
cloning: This is a procedure that
starts off like adult DNA cloning. However, the stem cells are removed from the
embryo with the intent of producing tissue or a whole organ for transplant back
into the person who supplied the DNA. The embryo dies in the process.
The goal of therapeutic cloning is to produce a healthy copy of a sick person's
tissue or organ for transplant. This technique would be vastly superior to
relying on organ transplants from other people. The supply would be unlimited,
so there would be no waiting lists. The tissue or organ would have the sick
person's original DNA; no immunosuppressant drugs would need to be taken. This
involved multi-step process:
Future experiments may not
succeed. There were four main hurdles to overcome:
1.
Stem cells have to be "successfully isolated and grown in the
laboratory." This has already been accomplished
2.
They have to be encouraged to "turn into specific cell types."
This has been done for most of the 220 cell types in the human body.
3.
They have to be proven usable in treating patients with diseases,
injuries, or disorders.
4.
The transplanted tissue must develop normally and must not
represent significant "risks to the patient."
This procedure would have
a number of advantages, when compared to regular organ transplant donated by a
second person:
1.
There would be presumably be no danger of rejection of the transplant
because the organ's DNA would match the patient's DNA exactly.
2.
For transplants involving kidney (or theoretically any other organ that
is duplicated in the body), another individual would not have to experience
pain, inconvenience, and potentially shortened life span in order to donate the
organ.
3.
The patient would not have to wait until an unrelated donor dies to
obtain a transplant. A new organ could be grown for them as needed.
4.
The patient would not have to make-do with a replacement organ that is
old and may have reduced functionality; a brand-new organ would be grown
specifically for them.
5.
The potential exists to cure, or at least treat, certain diseases and
disorders that cannot be effectively handled today.
The debate usually tackles
whether technology is moral or immoral just in the case of the quantum physics
that was used to design the nuclear bomb. Just as the quantum physics opened the
doors for a lot of possibilities both for good and evil. The same applies with
the possibilities of human cloning. And from that experience we are being warn
to be careful with our decision especially with this very sensitive issue.
Proponents of
human cloning usually use the third type to validate the need for cloning.
Science as the realm of knowledge must be used to alleviate the suffering of
mankind and to give way for the upliftment of the quality of life.
Some people belittle the
need for discussion because it involves only an embryo, a tiny organism.It might
be the tiny organism but all life evolves from that tiny embryo. Roman Catholics
believe that life begins at onception. The encyclical Evangelium
Vitae or the Gospel of Life is very clear that the human life is sacred
from conception and it should be reproduced by two biological parents, the
husband and wife. Some believe otherwise, they consider human life begins after
several weeks after conception because the cell was not fully develop. However,
we must remember that the human embryo which stage it may be already contains
the “blueprint” of a full human being , it is not simply a potential human
being but an actual reality of human life. Just like that female develops their
breast during their puberty period and mustache to male.
Thus,
the soul enters the body at the instant of conception, and that the fertilized
ovum is in fact a human person with full human rights. Dividing that
"baby" in in half during an embryo
cloning procedure would interfere with God's intent. It is also human
experimentation on live persons. The many cloned zygotes that died after a few
cell divisions would be lost human beings; their loss is considered as serious
as the death of a new born baby.
There is
no guarantee that the first cloned humans will be normal. The fetus might suffer
from some disorder that is not detectable by ultrasound. They may be born
disabled. Disorders may materialize later in life. Such problems have been seen
in other cloned mammals. There is no reason to assume that they will not happen
in humans.
The
genetic screening test could also be used to eliminate zygotes of a particular
gender, without requiring a later abortion. When the gene or genes that
determine sexual orientation are located, cloning could also be used to
eliminate zygotes of a particular sexual orientation. This is tantamount of
playing god.
Dolly
was conceived using a ewe's egg and a cell from another ewe's body. It is
noteworthy that no semen from a ram was involved. If the technique were
perfected in humans, and came into general usage, then there would be no genetic
need for men. All of the human males could be allowed to die off or the other
way around.
Some
people have expressed concern about the effects that cloning would have on
relationships. For example, a child born from an adult DNA cloning from his
father would be, in effect, a delayed twin of one of his parents. That has never
happened before and may lead to emotional difficulties.
Large
scale cloning could deplete genetic diversity. It is diversity that drives
evolution and adaptation. It prevents an entire species from disappearing
because of susceptibility to a disease
A
country might finance a program similar to that of Nazi Germany whereby humans
were bred to maximize certain traits. Once the "perfect human" was
developed, embryo cloning could be used to replicate that individual and
conceivably produce unlimited numbers of clones. The same approach could be used
to create a genetic underclass for exploitation: e.g. individuals with
sub-normal intelligence and above normal strength.
There is
always the possibility of injuring or killing embryos. Most pro-life supporters
believe that an embryo is a human person. During embryo cloning, they would be
subjected to assault with the possibility of being murdered. The embryos would
be treated as a commodity to be exploited, not as a person.
The
required result and required stem cells could be still be taken from other
sources beside the living embryo.
The same
principle applies with the use of cloning to weed out genetically defective
fertilized ova in therapeutic
cloning procedures. The procedure would result in the killing of one of the
clones during the genetic testing. Since they regard each of the clones as
separate human beings, this would be
Ethics become a concern
because of the source of the stem cells.
Stem cells could be
obtained from other sources:
1.
From umbilical cord blood collected at the person's birth. This would
require cord blood to be collected when a person is born and stored for possible
future use.
2.
Embryos created during infertility treatment. These are sometimes called
"spare embryos." They are usually frozen at a very low
temperature in the event that they are needed in the future to attempt another a
pregnancy
3.
Embryos created for the purpose in the laboratory by manually fertilizing
an ovum with donated sperm.
4.
From the germ cells or organs of an aborted fetus. These "appear
to be limited in the type of tissue they can be developed into."
5.
From bone marrow and some other adult tissues.
6.
From "mature adult tissue cells reprogrammed to behave like stem
cells." This mechanism was not been given much attention at this time
Basically, cloning is mingling with the natural flow of nature. Is there a need for such intrusion. Will it help richer country helps the underdeveloped country or it will divide more the present condition. Could cloning stop the spread of deceases or it will also be a window of high-tech deceases. History tell us that deceases also evolves beyond the progress of technology. Will cloning uplift the quality of life or it will treat it simply as a commodity. Scientist will say that they have no hold of it because it lies with those who uses it. But this development has social connotation that needs to be addressed or else it will be a pandora’s box.
Let us not be tempted to tamper the way nature behaves because God has already engineered a perfect human creation that is present to all of us. Life is a precious gift that need to be safeguarded from the beginning-from conception. It is not a thing to be experimented upon on laboratory because we might unleash a powerful force that we could not handle.
Let us pray that people in the scientific world might be enlightened according to the teaching of our Lord. We pray also that the slaughter of innocents be stopped and the scientific advancement help us to evolve us to a higher beings that regards that life is a gift from God. We ask this in the name of the Holy Trinity.