The path of
humanity into the future will undoubtedly involve human cloning—it
is only a matter of time before someone does it. How we navigate this
issue may be what defines the future human. Though cloning is
currently considered unethical and is illegal in most forms, it is
interesting how there are so many variations of what is acceptable.
Even when only considering the various restrictions in each of the 50
states in the U.S., there are a number of states that allow
therapeutic cloning—also known as somatic cell nuclear transfer.
This means that specific replacements for missing and damaged body
parts can be grown in a lab, which is accomplished by extracting the
nucleus of a cell and putting it into another egg that had its
nucleus removed. The egg then divides and grows, and is used as a
source of stem cells for the desired organ or tissue replacement. In
some states, the law simply indicates that state funds may not be
used towards cloning, so what about private funds? If you're
interested in what your state allows, visit this website:
http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/human-cloning-laws.aspx
No comments:
Post a Comment