What is cloning?

What are some arguments against cloning?

• What are some specific arguments with support against cloning? I know of ethics, but I need elaboration on this. I know of reduced genetic variation as a negative, but elaboration on this as well. What is another specific argument why cloning should be banned. Initially I thought of the imperfections of cloning but it was vague so I need another topic. Thanks.

• Answer:

  As far as the popular culture is concerned, fears about cloning are largely a matter of WWII propaganda and science fiction. Hittler was ridiculed for his ideas about a "master race", this idea concieved by his own public relations team. After the war, Americans became very paranoid about Soviet ambitions, and images of invincible, mass produced "master soldiers" dominated in 1950's science fiction films in the form of Martian invaders from the "Red plannet". Receintly, the same idea was resurrected in the Star Wars series. "Attack of the Clones" is the embodyment of American fears about hostile foriegn competition. However, non-human cloning is what supports American agriculture. Most livestock is highly inbred, these "pedigree" animals are nearly all clones and all designed to produce the maximum amount of animal protein. Plants are all monoculture hybrids. This is necessary to ensure the soybeans, corn or wheat are all adapted to a particular climate pattern and will produce a maximum yield. The hybrids are created from pure stocks of vegetables which are crossed by hand. The fact they are hybrids means the yield can't be used as seed stock. This keeps farmers dependant on seed companies for stock. In terms of biology, reproduction can be sexual or non sexual. Non sexual reproduction is cloning and can result from pieces of an organism growing into another clone, or even single sex cells which develop embryos without being fertilized. Many insects use non-fertile eggs to reproduce rapidly. Aphids build up their numbers very rapidly from this form of "virgin birth". Cloning is the fastest way to increase the size of a population. The only liability is of course all the organisms are identical, meaning of course they all have exactly the same resistance to a particular disease. Diseases spread most rapidly through populations which are very similar genetically. Insects and bacteria are examples of the benefits of sexual reproduction. The genetic diversity introduced into the population enabled things such as mosquitos and stalph bacteria to resist pesticides and antibiotics.