Beyond Biology - The moral maze of cloning loved ones

Cloning. It’s a topic that has been long loved by sci-fi writers but has become real-life after the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1997. Cloning has the potential to revolutionise modern medicine and the process of grief but also can open the Pandora’s box of ethical dilemmas. Can you imagine living in a world where you can clone a beloved pet, but where a failed relationship can clone you? A world where the boundary between original and clone dissolves entirely, plunging us into an eerie reality where nothing feels truly authentic. 

Cloning has significant benefits that could change the world for the better. Cloning beloved pets introduces no harm- keeping your furry friend for a few more years will only bring joy. Getting to experience loving a pet again is wonderful. 

However, the cloning benefits do not only stop at our furry friends. As well as this, cloning the deeply influential individuals who have changed the world of science, such as Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking could open the doors to remarkable advancements and innovations that could aid in propelling scientific development and understanding forward. 

Now, while discussions surrounding cloning tend to revolve around the cloning of a person for everything that defines them as themselves, the discussion of how cloning could revolutionise the medical world does seem to be a neglected part of the argument. 

Organs, organs, organs. Currently, there's a 5-year waiting list for kidney transplants in the United States alone. 17 individuals on the organ transplant list die every day. By cloning humans, we not only duplicate and potential problems- but we also duplicate identical copies of human anatomy, with all its organs ready to help save lives.  We can duplicate O- blood- which is one of the rarest blood types that can donate to all other blood types. This would completely disintegrate the blood shortage world crisis, and decrease all waiting lists for medical procedures drastically. On top of this, main organs, such as hearts, lungs and kidneys can be duplicated specifically for individuals who need them. By opening the doors to some of the dangers of cloning, we also open the doors to saving thousands- if not millions- of lives.

However, do the positives truly outweigh the negatives? Is this door worth opening, or is it better left shut? 

A popular viewpoint is that cloning will end up negatively affecting the current flow of the world. 

When considering the profound implications of cloning, one significant consequence stands out, though it may not be universally acknowledged. Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, in her seminal 1969 work “On Death and Dying”, introduced the five stages of grief that individuals experience when losing loved ones. If cloning were to become a reality, these stages might nearly vanish. Imagine a world where loss is no longer felt; instead, you could simply wait and have your pet, parents, or siblings returned to you. This could lead to a troubling comfort—a sense that grief is obsolete.

But the implications go even further. What if we began to clone not just our loved ones, but also influential figures who shaped our world? Suddenly, a previous positive has now become a negative. If we continuously duplicate the same individuals, sharing identical genetic makeups, appearances, and personalities, we risk creating a cycle where the same people reappear over and over again. Who would decide the limits of this practice? Would we be trapped in a monotonous loop, forever recycling the same lives? The ethical dilemmas this raises are as profound as they are unsettling.

However, this doesn’t only go to this level, what if cloning is misused by others? How would you feel if a crazed classmate duplicated you? If someone was cloning  Where’s the boundary? Who’s allowed to clone, and who’s not? 

So, I ask: Is this a great opportunity, or is it dangerous? Should we fully embrace cloning, or shut it out completely? Maybe instead of choosing extremes, we should leave the door slightly ajar, allowing us to explore and understand the unknown world of clones and their potential impact on our society.

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