Recently Stem cell research has come into the limelight. This means that if they clone a person and they wait for an embryo to grow when it does they can extract stem cells which can reproduce parts of your body. Stem cells are lost from your body when you are born. EX: If you are waiting for a kidney transplant they can just give you your stem cells and the stem cells will grow a new kidney. But, you have to clone. And people don't like that. It's not part of God's plan apparently. But if it wasn't part of the ultimate idea why would we have the idea? I think cloning for medical purposes is compltely fine, but those who are mourning and want to recreate their child they should learn to cope. Besides experiences are what make a person and if you were to clone a person they would never have the same experiences. Plus there are some difficulties. So what's your guys poston on cloning. I think that cloning for mediacl purposes is just fine but to clone solely to recreate a person is wrong.

I basically agree with the above.

Cloning for stem cells is fine, because of how useful ESCs (Embryonic Stem Cells) are. They're quite capable of saving your life. Is it a realistic position to expect people to die painfully rather than have a clone embryo created? Also, there's no way an embryo at that stage can be considered alive - by its very definition, it's just a cluster of stem cells.

Cloning for other reasons needs to be closely monitored, of course.

I kinda agree about cloning for medical purposes. I can see both sides of that issue.

But I think that an embryo can be consider a life. It'll grow into something and bigger and where do you draw the line between something to small to live and something large enough to be considered "living"

There's a lot of bacteria that's small, but they're considered alive.

That's the debate. If emberyos are considered alive.

I haven't thought much about this topic, or done much research. I suppose I don't mind using it for medical purposes... such as replacing damaged organs. And yeah, cloning someone's dead child would be pretty creepy.

wrote: There's a lot of bacteria that's small, but they're considered alive

Heh, call me heartless, but I don't care about bacteria. Or slightly larger things, like insects. I sure do hate bugs. *slaps a few mosquitos*

Also, I've just read a bit about stem cells. I guess you're talking about embryonic ones. I believe they're taken at a time when the embryo hasn't actually developed a "brain" yet, so it probably isn't exactly sentient... so I wouldn't call it a "person", really... but it is creepy and mildly distressing to think that the clone [or other embryo] you took the cells from would have grown into a person, maybe your twin. Hmm.

EDIT: Yes, the embryos are alive. I think the moral debate is over whether it's considered a sentient person. If so, then would it really appreciate having its cells harvested to benefit some random stranger, instead of being allowed to grow into a person? I guess some people are also concerned about taking advantage of any living creature, sentient or not. Ya know, like Pi from The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. He was starving, but felt bad when he had to kill a fish. That kind of thing. I dunno. I'll just be quiet now.

I don't think that Embryos are life. They're just a bunch of cells bunched together. They can develop into life but at their current stage do not have the capacity to become a living creature without being implanted inside a womb.

But you have to remember: A clone will never be the same thing. Nature and Nurture never produce a exact copy every time.

And, as for the Embryo, it's the same arguement as a Chicken Egg: It's not alive... yet. Can I eat it? Is it Veg?

Counterpoint:

Abortion was once hailed as evil, immoral; countries passed laws against it, now's it's routine. Nowadays you see sex selection going the same way. Cloning, in essence is an evolution of these.
You can Kill it in the Womb, Force it to change it's sex, but not clone it? Imagine the future: You eat cloned beef, have a cloned pet, what's wrong with human cloning?

Immoral or Not: Give people a gun, a holocaust will happen, Give people Abortionists and Abortions will happen, Give people Cloning Vats and Cloning will happen.

Post wrote:But you have to remember: A clone will never be the same thing. Nature and Nurture never produce a exact copy every time.

I know I already made that point.

wrote: Besides experiences are what make a person and if you were to clone a person they would never have the same experiences.

Chicken eggs that we eat are unfertilised, Post, so they aren't alive and have no potential to become so.


Technically, the embryo is still growing into something - it's just that the something is organs in the original's body, rather than a whole person.
Vast quantities of embryos at this stage die anyway, in the natural cycle of life.

Post wrote: Abortion was once hailed as evil, immoral; countries passed laws against it, now's it's routine.

Just 'cause it routine doesn't mean it's right.

"Knowledge for Knowledge sakes"

Face it we have too many rat obsessed scientists running around with too little to discover.

What happened to the ideals of the renaisance? Is Cloning against the Will of God? Is Cloning the modern replacement for necromancy?

It wouldn't be routine if most people believe it isn't right, Luciene.

Let's see now, Most. 4 Billion people out there and 'Most' don't believe it's right. There will always be a Taliban to defy 'Most'

wrote:They're just a bunch of cells bunched together.

So are "sentinent" beings. We have skin cells bunched together for our outside, we have brain cells for our brain. there is not one part of us that is not made up of cells, so what are we but a cluster of cells, and since we are just clusters of cells, does that make murder right?

There's a vast difference between a mere handful of unformed cells, completely incapable of any form of thought, many of which would die anyway, and a developed human being.
For example, an ant has vastly more capacity for thought than an embryo at the stage where they're used for ESCs, but do you think anything of stepping on an ant as you walk?

No surgeon ever found a soul.

Gene Mapping, stem cell research, they all lay the building block for the human clone.

Isn't that like your conscience or morals? No surgeon ever found those either. It's who you are.

Your morals, conscience are subject to change. So are laws.

But just because they change, doesn't mean it's right.