Could medical push for human cloning change the tide of public opinion?

From a scientific stand point cloning happens every day, let it be through the replication of cells, plant propagation or certain types of asexual reproduction; however, it is human cloning that usually ignites a fierce debate. From both an ethical and moral standpoint, human cloning has always raised several issues regarding the reasons and motivations behind it. Whilst religion is often the barrier for many opposing cloning, there have been many arguments from secular interest groups as well.

Like other forms of “unnatural” science, such as In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and stem cell research, human cloning has its fair share of advocates. Although it may be unfair to compare the cloning debate to IVF treatment and stem cell research, they all have several key similarities from an argumentative standpoint. All deemed to be relatively ethically dubious from a religious perspective, secular groups argue that scientists shouldn’t be able to alter what would be considered a natural part of life.

Opinions change however, after the initial uproar over IVF and the potential for individuals to alter genes to design their child to their liking, it has become more popular as it became seen as a way for couples unable to have children to get pregnant safely. Advocates for cloning are using the same argument to help change public opinion, as they explain that for many, cloning could be the only option to have a child, albeit an expensive fraught with a litany of issues that cross from ethical to legal.

That being said, that side of the debate may be the hardest one to argue. On the other hand, human cloning, specifically body parts, is garnering additional support from the medical field. Doctors are beginning to see the advantages of human cloning, as a spate of breakthroughs has shown that we are nearing the ability to replicate or clone specific body parts or tissue.  From a medical perspective, doctors and researchers are seeing this as realistic and viable option for transplant patients, one that would revolutionize the healthcare sector.

In this case, cloning, like stem cell research, could be a major breakthrough in how we treat patients with a wide range of issues. However, there is still one overarching argument that remains: Should scientists and doctors have a say in how nature plays its course? A Darwinist would say that this type of technology would be essentially altering natural selection, and could eventually lead to complications from an evolutionary perspective, but is this the logical progression of human technology, or a line that shouldn’t be crossed?

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