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Human cloning: pros and cons
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Wu Yan
THE first human clone will be born next summer, according to the Italian scientists participating in the international group of reproductive experts dedicated to clone humans for infertile couple. So, human cloning, not only once erousing enormous anxiety among scientists and governments around the world, has again become a hot topic. To hear what the general public think of this matter, we publish below the comments of three of the people interviewed by Shenzhen Daily.
Zhang Yali, 44, senior veterinarian
It's OK to clone some specific organs of human beings, considering that we are facing so many frustrations in organ transplant and donation. The society has the need for these organs.
In terms of research purpose, cloning technique should not be blamed. But it is inadvisable to try to clone some great people like Einstein. Because if you do, you can only produce a natural body of that figure, you cannot replicate his mind, his ideology that are closely related to social environment, which changes from time to time. In other words, you are unable to copy social influence.
Again, I don't object cloning technology, but it should not be used for other than good objective.
He Liquan, 30, insurance manager
Human cloning is a nightmare to the state of existence of human beings. There are totally five billion people in the world, and each of them, with a different occupation, lives a different life.
It is also a disaster to the law of life, the life and death, for example. I would think the world would be unimaginable if a human being could be copied. In other words, the rich people or the politically successful people, for instance, would be able to continue themselves through cloning. This might cost other people their chances to succeed.
But I endorse cloning some specific human organs for medical purpose. I am positive about this from a scientific perspective.
I even believe that genom deciphering has an impact to human's living state. Still, in medical sense, it is OK. It can help decipher a lot of secrets of life. But, anyway, it has impacted human's present living state.
Liu Yun, 36, engineer
I am positive about human cloning in terms of that it could help build a family for couples who suffer from barrenness. It might be a bliss for them, for it could bring about harmony and balance to a family.
As a new technology, human cloning has a lot of problems. It cannot replicate an embryo independently. Cases might be that at a time none of the nurtured embryos can succeed or several embryos of a same person might be cloned successfully. When more than one embryos are planted in several wombs, and you might have more than one of a same person. Then what are you going to do with all of them? Surely you are not going to get rid of others to preserve only one.
If specific organs are cloned, it can help reduce the cost of transplanting such things as bone marrow and kidney.
If human cloning technique is used by evil people, the consequences could be unimaginable. For example, they can use it for spying and bad political plans.
So, probably there ought to be an international law that puts human cloning under regulation and strict control. Many things are two-sided. Many innovated things do not progress smoothly. But if it develops toward making benefit for people, human beings will be able to take in the good of it.
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