Cloning creates an identical duplicate of a living subject, but there are many disadvantages, including uncertainty, loss of genetic diversity, ethical concerns, and the risk of abuse. While there are benefits, many experts believe the risks outweigh them and cloning should be left alone until better understood.
Cloning is defined as the use of the cells of a living subject, plant or animal, to create another duplicate subject. A cloned subject will be identical to its parent. Cloning has become the center of a huge debate about the advantages and disadvantages of making clones, especially of animals and humans. While this technology may be useful for laboratory studies and for creating desirable livestock, there are several disadvantages of cloning that should be considered.
One of the biggest disadvantages of cloning is that the technology is still so uncertain. Dolly the sheep, the first mammalian clone, was born in 1996. Although she was initially successful, she died young from a disease not normally seen in sheep her age. Scientists are still unsure of any genetic mutations that could occur when an animal is cloned. Also, while Dolly was a successful clone, there were hundreds of failed clones before she was created, including several stillbirths. Other cloned animals have been found to be horribly deformed.
The loss of genetic diversity is another disadvantage of cloning. Genetic diversity is what keeps an entire species from being wiped out by a single virus if none of them have natural immunity. This is due to the lack of genetic diversity. Genetic mutations occur naturally and help explain why some people are naturally taller, shorter, or more athletic than others. Some people and animals naturally have stronger immune systems. If gene diversity is lost through excessive cloning, there are no mutations that would allow part of the cloned group to survive a newly introduced disease.
Another of the disadvantages of cloning is that there are many ethical considerations that would make most people complain. One such ethical concern is that cloning is unnatural and considered “playing God.” Another concern is the treatment of clones. Clones would have the same needs as non-clones of their species. Human treatment guidelines would continue to apply.
There is always the risk that cloning technology will be abused. One of the main disadvantages of cloning is that the technology should be kept under strict control. For example, imagine what a corrupt dictator could do with cloning. There will always be someone who will try to use cloning for their own use, and many feel that the best way to prevent this is to not pursue cloning at all.
There are many benefits to cloning, such as the ability to cure certain diseases and the ability to breed strains that are ideal for research and consumption. However, many feel that the disadvantages of cloning far outweigh any benefits that may be experienced. Because of the risk involved in cloning, it’s a technology that many experts say may be best left alone, at least until it’s better understood.
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