Detailed Outline

Topic: Human Cloning

Focus Question: Should human cloning be accepted by society, as a part of the growing technology?

I. Introduction

a. Definition of human cloning

b. When human cloning was introduced

c. How human cloning is done

i. Nucleus removed from egg cell

ii. Fuse enucleated egg and mammary cell together

II. Purposes

a. Produce a child genetically identical to another individual

b. Create transplant organs from embryonic stem cells

c. Tool for supplying genetic and epigenetic processes

III. Advantages and Benefits on Human Cloning as a medical advancement

a. Cure incurable diseases

E.g. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Leukemia

b. Cure Infertility

c. Make genetically engineered babies

E.g. create a child free of genetic defects that may be inherited from parents.

d. Rejuvenation purposes

E.g. reverse the aging process

e. Help handicapped and deformed people

E.g. grow new limbs

f. Reduce health risk due to plastic and cosmetic surgery

E.g. using tissue samples to replace foreign materials

g. Answer to defective genes

i. Down’s syndrome, Tay-Sachs disease

IV. Reasons for the ban in cloning research

a. Disadvantages of human cloning

i. Difficult procedure

The enucleated egg and the transferred nucleus must be compatible

Division and development of egg with transferred nucleus

Implantation of embryo into a surrogate mother

Pregnancy

ii. Dangerous development

Deaths of many cloned human beings

Miscarriages

Future organ failures

Clones may have genetic disorders

Organ defects

Health risk for ‘mother’

Hormonal manipulation in the egg donor

iii. Expectations of clone

e.g. if society decides to clone Michael Jordan, the clone may not grow up to become a basketball legend, as expected by society

iv. Ethical concerns

Devaluing a cloned human being

Depriving people of their uniqueness

Clone not treated as human being but a human embryo

Whether clones are fully ensouled or even have a soul at all

Relationship of clones and real humans

Clones become slaves to maker

Real human of clone will know clone’s emotions and feelings

Against God’s will

Clones may suffer psychological distress

Living a life that has already been lived

Cloned children not able to live a normal life i.e. destiny has been chosen for them

Embryos have life

Using embryos for medical purposes would be sacrificing lives

Clones treated as commodities

Bought or sold

b. Society’s reaction

i. Social problems

Women being exploited

Eggs received from women

Drugs injected in women to stimulate production of eggs

ii. Effects on society

· How society will acknowledge clones in the community

· Whether rights of cloned human being will be violated

V. Comparison of need for medical advances and social ethics

VI. Conclusion