Comments on: Why Human Cloning Shouldn't be a Big Worry http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/03/16/why-human-cloning-shouldnt-be-a-big-worry/ Science, Environment, and Nature in the SF Bay Area Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:39:48 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Barry http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/03/16/why-human-cloning-shouldnt-be-a-big-worry/comment-page-1/#comment-65700 Barry Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:35:20 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=1693#comment-65700 For right now, the technical hurdles are pretty large. Right now we can only figure how to clone a human (or any other animal for the first time) through trial and error. While working out the conditions, lots of fetuses will be miscarried, babies born dead and babies born with defects. This seems like an awful lot of human loss. In the future as we perfect cloning this may change but for now the human cost is too high. Another concern is that we just don't know the effect of cloning on the clone. Dolly seemed to die young and suffer from diseases that her 'mother' did not. Until this is worked out it probably isn't a good idea to clone. BTW I've struggled with this a bit too in a more recent blog at http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/08/03/why-we-will-never-see-another-einstein There I talk about the fact that we will never have another Einstein and maybe we should clone him. For right now, the technical hurdles are pretty large. Right now we can only figure how to clone a human (or any other animal for the first time) through trial and error. While working out the conditions, lots of fetuses will be miscarried, babies born dead and babies born with defects. This seems like an awful lot of human loss. In the future as we perfect cloning this may change but for now the human cost is too high.

Another concern is that we just don't know the effect of cloning on the clone. Dolly seemed to die young and suffer from diseases that her 'mother' did not. Until this is worked out it probably isn't a good idea to clone.

BTW I've struggled with this a bit too in a more recent blog at
http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/08/03/why-we-will-never-see-another-einstein There I talk about the fact that we will never have another Einstein and maybe we should clone him.

]]> By: Jan http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/03/16/why-human-cloning-shouldnt-be-a-big-worry/comment-page-1/#comment-65565 Jan Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:33:08 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=1693#comment-65565 As a married person who was born with a birth defect, and someone who would like to have a child, I would like to clone my husband. He has a 300iq and is working on significant problems that would positively effect society. I don't want to get some unknown dna in the mix, and I know that his child/twin may not have the attributes that he has, but it's worth a try. I just don't want to pass on several heridatary diseases. This I think is a positive social reason to allow human cloning. I don't want someone else to make my reproductive decisions, just as I don't want anyone to tell me whether or not I can have an abortion. It's none of your business. Being in America with the ban, I would have to go to some 3rd world country with who knows what practices to get this done, that may make the medical proceedure more dangerous for the child, as there is no danger to the person who donates cells. As for God not knowing where to put a soul into a created body, I think that you give GOD too little credit, if we can figure it out you know that GOD already has the correct answer and method or we wouldn't be able to figure it out! As for vanity babies, look at the baby boom in hollywood, it already happens, as do unwanted pregnancies. I would like to have good people copied, if the origional wants to do it. This has to be personal responsibility, I don't want you to tell me I can't do it, nor would I as that you take care of the result. My body, my baby, my business. I think that it is an abridgement on my pursuit of happiness that there is this ban, and it should be lifted. As a married person who was born with a birth defect, and someone who would like to have a child, I would like to clone my husband. He has a 300iq and is working on significant problems that would positively effect society. I don't want to get some unknown dna in the mix, and I know that his child/twin may not have the attributes that he has, but it's worth a try. I just don't want to pass on several heridatary diseases. This I think is a positive social reason to allow human cloning. I don't want someone else to make my reproductive decisions, just as I don't want anyone to tell me whether or not I can have an abortion. It's none of your business. Being in America with the ban, I would have to go to some 3rd world country with who knows what practices to get this done, that may make the medical proceedure more dangerous for the child, as there is no danger to the person who donates cells. As for God not knowing where to put a soul into a created body, I think that you give GOD too little credit, if we can figure it out you know that GOD already has the correct answer and method or we wouldn't be able to figure it out! As for vanity babies, look at the baby boom in hollywood, it already happens, as do unwanted pregnancies. I would like to have good people copied, if the origional wants to do it. This has to be personal responsibility, I don't want you to tell me I can't do it, nor would I as that you take care of the result. My body, my baby, my business. I think that it is an abridgement on my pursuit of happiness that there is this ban, and it should be lifted.

]]> By: Barry Starr http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/03/16/why-human-cloning-shouldnt-be-a-big-worry/comment-page-1/#comment-65376 Barry Starr Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:39:48 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=1693#comment-65376 The tricky part would be in getting the cloning to work right in people. Now scientists pretty much use trial and error to get it right in animals and they would need to use the same approach for people. That trial and error leads to a lot of miscarriages, birth defects, etc. While this is awful in animal research, it is pretty unthinkable for human research. The tricky part would be in getting the cloning to work right in people. Now scientists pretty much use trial and error to get it right in animals and they would need to use the same approach for people. That trial and error leads to a lot of miscarriages, birth defects, etc. While this is awful in animal research, it is pretty unthinkable for human research.

]]> By: KakashiHatake http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/03/16/why-human-cloning-shouldnt-be-a-big-worry/comment-page-1/#comment-65371 KakashiHatake Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:28:01 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=1693#comment-65371 I think that they should clone people, because if you are an only child, you need atleast a sibling, no matter how young he or she is. (-\)~Kakashi I think that they should clone people, because if you are an only child, you need atleast a sibling, no matter how young he or she is.
(-\)~Kakashi

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