Biological science has advance more rapidly than any other science in the past few decades. With the birth of a cloned sheep named “Dolly”, what was formerly the stuff of science fiction is now reality. The capability of cloning has sparked ethical, social, religious and public policy debate. Despite these debates which often portray scientists as “playing god”, cloning should be advanced for its potentially enormous medical benefits. Infertile couples, those who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, burn victims, and those in need of organ transplants will all benefit from the biological processes involved in cloning. Xenotransplantation is “the transfer of cells, tissues, or organs from one species of animal into another” (Wilmut, Campbell and Tudge 253). While there is little doubt that cloning is a sophisticated process with as much potential for abuse as good, there are too many valid medical benefits that will accrue from its use to let religious and public concerns alone halt research. We will now investigate some of the promising benefits cloning and its processes will provide to humankind. A conclusion will address other potential benefits that will accrue to humankinds from cloning and its processes, but it will also provide the reason why this process needs strictly regulated.
The process of cloning involves nuclear transfer that has enormous potential medical benefit. One of the most promising forms of research has to do with mitochondria. It is thought that free radicals cause oxygen damage to mitochondria which is responsible for the aging of cells and, therefore, human beings. When Dolly was cloned her DNA was mature, adult DNA but her mitochondria were the same as a newborn’s. These kinds of processes may lead researchers to restrict the aging process in mitochondria which will extend the average lifespan by many years. As Ruse and Sheppard argue; “Experimental nuclear transfer in anima...