Shumaker 1 John Shumaker Professor Bolton ENG 101 25 March 2014 Stem Cell Research and the Ethical

Impact of Cloning Since its inception in the late 1990s, stem cell research has been at the forefront of moral and ethical controversies in public and scientific forums. The fascinating possibilities of growing new tissue that can be used in repairing spinal cord injuries or replacing damaged, or missing, cells in diseases such as Parkinsons disease, diabetes, or heart disease offers visions of hope for those suffering from these life-threatening forms of disability. As with many great advances in science and medicine, stem cell research is not without its share of controversy surrounding its harvesting protocols and its application. As a result of my studies in the biological sciences, the highly publicized issues of stem cell research has captured my attention and has prompted me to take a stance on the more specific issue of cloning with regards to its involvement with human tissue repair and replacement. Based upon my research for this paper, I will present the argument that cloning with the intent of therapeutic application is a technology that we must continue to develop because of the positive impact that it can have on the lives of afflicted individuals and their families. I will acknowledge the ethical concerns of utilizing cloning as an accepted biomedical technology solution, but I will offer alternative viewpoints that address these concerns. As stated on the webpage www.genome.gov/10004765, many of the concerns about cloning have focused on issues related to playing God, interfering with the natural order of life, and somehow robbing a future individual of the right to a unique identity. This statement focuses on the controversy

Shumaker 2 surrounding the definition of when life begins as a human being and the fact that the subject embryo is destroyed following the collection of the cloned stem cells. Does the embryo used to create stem cells have a right to life? Is there a preponderance of research that establishes a basis for the potential to save lives in situations that are presently terminal or incurable? In this paper, I will primarily focus on the ethics of cloning for therapeutic applications and how cloning serves the greater good. In order to clarify the controversy over cloning, I will also explain the biological and ethical differences of reproductive cloning which, in public forums, is often confused with therapeutic cloning. It is my intent to present support for the continued research into stem cell technology while arguing that therapeutic stem cell research is not in violation of biomedical ethics.

Works Cited Hanna, Kathi. Cloning/Embryonic Stem Cells. National Human Genome Research Institute. National Institutes of Health, April 2006. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.