Human Cloning: Making it Happen

[Prospero]

Haha, nothing like an inflammatory subject line to attract attention. Seriously, though, New Scientist just ran an article about how research needs to focus on perfecting the cloning of organs and various tissue types. I don't think it's really necessary for me to list the benefits, but I'm sure Christopher Reeves would be happy to once the research comes to a conclusion.

Even if they do not want to clone babies, researchers must to learn how to produce duplicate human cells safely. That is the conclusion of experts who have outlined an ambitious program to identify and solve the problems that currently plague cloning.

Only a few renegade scientists claim they are ready to clone human beings, but many biologists are interested in using cloning techniques to genetically-match cells to patients for use as rejection-free transplants, and for research.

But Ian Wilmut, of Scotland's Roslin Institute, says even these plans should be shelved until more is known about how cloning works - and why it fails so often. "There are a lot of questions to ask about cloned cells before you can justify putting them in a patient," he told New Scientist.

It's common knowledge that the majority of all cloned embryos fail, which isn't particularly surprising considering the trauma inflicted upon the egg in the process.

So, my questions are these:

• Will cloning tissue and organs induce the slippery slope and result in cloned humans or meat vats?
• Is it worthwhile to persue the technology in a vigorous fashion if there stands a chance of some early errors, but truly amazing medical and scientific results?
• Is the technology already moving too fast and need to be slowed down to allow for societal acclimation?
• Will the technology be used for the greater good of everyone or will it be hoarded by the companies that perfect it and then sell to the highest bidder, thus leaving everyone else with less than the perfect tissue and organ replacement?
• Is it too soon to worry about all this because the technology is still so troubled by having such a low success rate?

 

[SquishyDave]

• 
  [*]Will cloning tissue and organs induce the slippery slope and result in cloned humans or meat vats?
  Probably not, some people will clone humans, but most won't. What's a meat vat? Is there where you get fresh cow meat from nothing but a vat growing cow flesh with no brain? If so that's great, not bad.
  
  [*]Is it worthwhile to persue the technology in a vigorous fashion if there stands a chance of some early errors, but truly amazing medical and scientific results?
  YES, this has too much potential for quantity and quality of life to be stifled by egg shell walking types, with risk comes reward.
  
  [*]Is the technology already moving too fast and need to be slowed down to allow for societal acclimation?
  No, society can just deal with it, and they will, and if one country doesn't, another will deal with it and be expected to give the whining country the benefits after doing all the work. But that's fine, as long as people are healthier and happier.
  
  [*]Will the technology be used for the greater good of everyone or will it be hoarded by the companies that perfect it and then sell to the highest bidder, thus leaving everyone else with less than the perfect tissue and organ replacement?
  It depends, I don't know anything about this side of it, I hope the technology is told to everyone and is relatively easy to reproduce.
  
  [*]Is it too soon to worry about all this because the technology is still so troubled by having such a low success rate?
  No one should worry about most of this ever, just have reasonable controls, the type that should exist on any branch of science, and let's see where we end up.