Why is human cloning banned?

Human beings should not be cloned for several reasons that are going to be further discussed in this op-ed: cloning is a risky, imperfect procedure, it does not create an exact copy of an individual, and it poses ethical concerns by using human beings as a means to an end, opening up possibilities for abuse and …

There are 10 States (California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, and Rhode Island) with “clone and kill” laws. These laws prevent cloned embryo implantation for childbirth, but allow embryos to be destroyed.

These include an increase in birth size and a variety of defects in vital organs, such as the liver, brain and heart. Other consequences include premature aging and problems with the immune system. Another potential problem centers on the relative age of the cloned cell’s chromosomes.

Under the AHR Act, it is illegal to knowingly create a human clone, regardless of the purpose, including therapeutic and reproductive cloning. In some countries, laws separate these two types of medical cloning.

Genomes can be cloned; individuals cannot. In the future, therapeutic cloning will bring enhanced possibilities for organ transplantation, nerve cells and tissue healing, and other health benefits.

On Dec. 27, 2002, Brigitte Boisselier held a press conference in Florida, announcing the birth of the first human clone, called Eve. A year later, Boisselier, who directs a company set up by the Raelian religious sect, has offered no proof that the baby Eve exists, let alone that she is a clone.

Myth: When clones are born, they’re the same age as their donors, and don’t live long. … Despite the length of telomeres reported in different studies, most clones appear to be aging normally. In fact, the first cattle clones ever produced are alive, healthy, and are 10 years old as of January 2008.

Some scientists believe clones would face health problems ranging from subtle but potentially lethal flaws to outright deformity. But let’s ignore all that–for the moment–and cut to the bottom line: How much would it cost to clone a person? According to our estimates: about $1.7 million.

cloning in Canada. This means that the use of cloning as a reproductive technology is now a criminal offence. Unfortunately, it also means that the therapeutic cloning of human embryos for medical research or for the treatment of disease is banned.

Human reproductive cloning remains universally condemned, primarily for the psychological, social, and physiological risks associated with cloning. … Because the risks associated with reproductive cloning in humans introduce a very high likelihood of loss of life, the process is considered unethical.

A range of abnormalities have been shown in species in which cloned animals have been successfully produced; some defects are similar between species, but others are not. These defects include placental abnormalities, and kidney, lung and heart pathology. Genetic and epigenetic effects are involved in cloning failures.

Cloning causes animals to suffer. … The clones, them- selves, however, suffer the most serious problems: They are much more likely than other animals to be miscarried, have birth defects, develop serious illnesses, and die prematurely.

But human cloning never happened. The reason is clear in retrospect. In the basic cloning procedure, like that used to create Dolly the sheep in 1996, scientists take an entire adult cell and inject it into an egg that’s been relieved of its own DNA. The resulting embryo is a clone.

Since then, scientists have cloned more than 20 species—from cows to rabbits to dogs—using this technique, but the Chinese effort marks the first time that non-human primates have been cloned successfully in the same way.