In 1997, immediately after the news about Dolly broke out, some nations banded against the activity of human cloning. Currently, this process is illegal in England and Norway, for example, but it is not totally illegal in the U.S. However, President Clinton announced a ban on using federal funds for human cloning research and to appeal for a voluntary moratorium on any private research involving this process. As President Clinton said, “Any discovery that touches upon human creation is not simply a matter of scientific inquiry. It is a matter of morality and spirituality as well” (Land, R.D. 1997). These actions remind me of the story of Galileo, who first said that the earth is round and immediately after that, many people wanted to hang him. According to my personal studies, most people are usually fearful at first of new inventions and change. For example, when physicians first replaced a real heart, many groups of people called it unethical and opposed it. In my opinion, new inventions make life easier. Therefore, human cloning, as another new helpful technology, should be embraced instead of feared.

One of the biggest reasons for keeping cloning legal is the way that this technology can help infertile couples. There are many couples in the world in which one or both of the individuals is unable to naturally give their genes for the purpose of procreation. Moreover, “…about 15 percent of Americans are infertile, and doctors often cannot help them” (Eibert, 1998). However, through cloning, these people would have a chance to give birth to a child that is genetically related to them. This way, the parents will be assured that their genes will be passed on to future generations. It was announced in late 1997, by (the appropriately named) Dr. Richard Seed that he would open a fertility clinic in either the United States or Mexico by 1999 to help infertile couples using human cloning technology. Thus, human cloning will hopefully prove itself useful as a tool for infertility.

Other very important medical benefits could be obtained through cloning technology. For instance, it is possible throughout cloning to grow “spare parts” to be used in organ transplants. Once the cloning of a cell has been done and the cell has started dividing, it does not necessarily have to grow into an entire person. Researchers understand that through a series of tasks, they can hold the cell to develop into specialized cells or even complete organs. For example, “A heart or a kidney could be grown outside of the body to be used in organ transplants without fear of rejection from the recipient’s body, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs” (Madeleine, M.J. 1998). Moreover, simpler tissues such as skin cells have already been cloned in laboratories for use in skin grafts for burn victims. Therefore, human cloning will also prove its usefulness in the production of organs in the future.

Another possible medical advance that could be developed through cloning research is the ability to cure genetic diseases. According to the Human Cloning Foundation, this process can help people with genetic problems; those who have a high risk for Down’s Syndrome can avoid that risk by cloning… we may be able to make livers for liver transplants, and kidneys for kidney transplants. We should be able to create bone marrow for children and adults who are suffering from leukemia, and we may learn how to switch cells on and off through cloning and thus be able to cure cancer (Human Cloning Foundation). Thus, before an artificially fertilized embryo is implanted a cell from the embryo, it could be cloned and analyzed for genes that cause diseases. This way an embryo with the highest chance of good health and survival could be selected for implantation. Why should another person suffer and die from a genetic disease, when cloning can control these sicknesses?

In conclusion, people should be educated about cloning rather than being told that it is against God’s will or that it can became a weapon for countries or other kinds of possible abuses. They should learn about this scientific process and draw conclusions based on that, not on what they read in novels or see in movies. Cloning is still a young technology and we should understand that there could be some difficulties at first, the same as any other technological improvement that we have had throughout history. Therefore, only research about its positive aspects will lead to its improvement and growth. To ban this research would result in the loss of a technology that could someday cure diseases, or prevent the deaths of people who wait endlessly for an organ for transplant, or even give hope to people who otherwise cannot make their own choices. Which action, banning or not banning, is really the less ethical choice? I hope that people can move quickly to educate our communities to be ready for this revolution in genetics. This scientific miracle is the result of the hard work of thousands of researchers and physicians who are on the verge of reaching their dreams to help other human beings. Why should their efforts be wasted? Let’s help them reach their dreams, before it is too late.