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Well they sorta have, a french doctor who is involved with a cult that believes aliens arrived here and started the human race claims too have produced the first human clone.
Oddly enough it appears that no one is taking any action against this doctor in what in international law is a criminal offence, she also claims that four other babies are due from cloning experiments in the new year.
Shortly after this news, another scientist is claiming that they have produced a clone and it will be born early 2003.
I personally don’t have a problem with cloning, but there are both scary and rewarding elements to it, like how will the clone adapt when it realises it will be treated as a freak of nature, personally I don’t think the clone should be paraded like a trophy, yes prove too the world it’s a clone then make sure she is found a home away from the media glare so she can enjoy a normal life.
But the world does have to put a cap on this research, because the nightmare scenario of clones being given extra abilities through tampering of their DNA is a possibility, in the wrong hands it could prove disasterous.
I always wondered whether a clone would receive the same rights as the rest of us, would there be predujice and fear, well now it’s here I feel comfortable in saying that they are still human beings. Mind you if someone beat me to a job because they were genetically superior through cloning…then I might be a little pis*ed!!!
ADMI also don’t have much of a problem with cloning, it makes me feel slightly uneasy but that’s all.
I’ve heard these people say that they’ve got four more clone babies coming and that that’s just the start – they’re looking at immortality. I suppose it’s possible to tweak a person’s genes enough to make them immortal BUT WHAT ARE THEY THINKING??? If they do get that far, are we even ready for immortality – I don’t think so.quote
I always wondered whether a clone would receive the same rights as the rest of us, would there be predujice and fear, well now it’s here I feel comfortable in saying that they are still human beings.
There would be prejudice and fear about them because they’re not really natural and that’s probably very unnerving.
And scientists have proved that cloning doesn’t exacactly work correctly. Dolly the sheep (and every other clone or near on)suffers from something, I don’t know what it is, but how is this baby gonna be when it grows up??? Did they even take it into consideration?
If you ask me, what they’re doing is neutral, but they intend to take it too far.Warning! Parts: The Clonus Horror has been known to cause severe nightmares!
Human cloning scares me, and I certainly hope that the clones are given rights. But even if they are I fear that we may get unscrupulous people creating clones in order to harvest their body parts (organs, limbs etc.) Right now there’s a tremendous market for black market organs, but if you can have clones made of yourself, you have body parts that are a perfect fit and a perfect match (little chance of rejection).
If you haven’t already seen it then I suggest you watch the superbly educational Parts: The Clonus Horror Here is a good review of it with terrifying pics from the film.[/url] It should answer all your questions about harvesting organs from clones.
BTW, this film is so revered that even the folks at Mystery Science Theater payed homage to it in their own special way.
Logan
P.S. Here’s some suggested reading for learning more about cloning:
How to make Human Clones for Profit and Fun and 101 Things You Can Do With Your Clones
So far, the group has claimed success in cloning a human, but has not yet provided any scientific evidence. They say they’ll provide independent DNA testing evidence within nine days.
In the US, the FDA is investigating their claim,
FDA Explores Cloning Claim
there are obviously a lot of unanswered questions here. Particularly with the involvement of this “aliens on earth” cult.
Politicians love this sort of stuff because it allows them to start spouting off about the sanctity of human life blah blah and start passing more laws that take the “moral” high ground; but the danger is that the anti-cloning laws will stop research on therapeutic cloning, stem-cell research and other such things that could be truly helpful for the rest of us. I really have to wonder about the motives of scientists that are pushing human cloning purely for reproductive purposes to the detriment of other genetic research.
How much do you think the Raelians are charging these women at their clinics?
elmey
This is the problem, there cannot be a clear line drawn, stem cell research would be of great benefit, but we also have the debate over whether cloned embryo’s could be used.
Most governments have just tried to ban it all before the law can be abused, but where international law cannot be used you will find these renegade scientists claiming they were the first.
The immortality scenario works to a degree, certainly on the physical aspects, organs can be replaced and you can add say 10 or 20 years to your life span. But it’s doubtful that the body will accept new tissue when going past a certain age, it’s not just organs that were designed too age but the entire human body, the truth is, is that no matter how hard you try you cannot cheat death.
However, the idea behind The Sixth Day (yes that silly Arnie flick) may not be a complete impossibilty, should it ever become possible to either take some of what you are to a new cloned body remains to be seen, but the day will come where a computer will be able to store and hold your brain functions independant of the need of your body.
As for becoming immortal in the body you were born in, personally I can’t see it, there is so much you have too beat for it too happen.
As for these rogue scientists, they are playing with a science that can be as potentially devastating as a nuclear weapon, I’m certainly not going too applaud them for it, they have simply done what we already knew what was possible, this is like children showing off too their peers, kinda like ‘Look at me, I made a clone aren’t I the clever one’, an acheivement yes, but not one to be particularly proud of.
Let’s hope the world can get a grip on this before it get’s out of hand, but like I said I don’t deplore cloning, but there is a 50-50 split in what it can be used for…good or evil.
ADMI don’t see how they are going to stem the tide now though. That’s the trouble with science. For any discovery to be taken seriously, the proof and theories have to be published. Once that’s done anyone is able to pick up those publishings and do their own research. It’s a lot easier to make the breakthrough if you have the starting point.
Once it becomes apparant that something can be done, some power/money hungry sonnova… is going to come up with how it could help him and stump up the cash to do it. Morals and ethics are conveniently ignored and get to worry about the concequences after the event.
As for the stigma and bigotry? Undoubtedly. Human beings generally fear things they don’t understand, and hate things they fear. Especially if they feel threatened by it. But what could we find threatening about an army of genetically engineered super men and women, designed to be better than us in every way? Whether this be fact or not.
No, I think this could all get very messy unless the current proceedings are handled very carefully. I don’t think we, as a society, are geared up to deal with clones yet. We need more time to prepare ourselves.
For anyone who hasn’t had a chance to follow-up this story, here’s an update:
The whole thing seems to be more unlikely and a whole lot more unsavory than the earlier stories indicated.
(By the way, I keep giving NY Times links–I think you have to register, but it’s free and they have some decent science reporters
and a Science Section every Tuesday which is quite interesting.)elmey
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