Animal Cloning Research Paper

Words: 1291
Pages: 6

Permitting Cloning Animal Cloning has been around for over 50 years; it has made a lot of progress in that time. Cloning consists of picking the best animals from a herd and making exact copies of their DNA. There are three different types of cloning: gene cloning, reproductive cloning, and therapeutic cloning. "Gene cloning produces copies of genes or segments of DNA" (NHGRI). Meanwhile reproductive cloning reproduces the entire animal and therapeutic cloning produces embryonic cells which is used for experiments and future research (NHGRI). With this technology there is a future in medicine, improving animals, and creating food. The future is very promising. Along with further experiments cloning will give way to new life. Animal cloning …show more content…
Farm animals would be impacted first. The Biotechnology Industry Organization states, "cloning is assisted reproductive technology that allows livestock breeders to create identical twins of their best animals" (BIO). Also according to BIO, the "procedure used today is known as somatic nuclear transfer (SCNT), which uses one donor." (BIO) Using just one donors DNA and placing it in an empty egg produces an embryo. This embryo is placed into a surrogate mother, and carried to term (BIO). Farm animal's overall well-being would also benefit from cloning. According to Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Food Drug Adminstration (FDA), cloning improves bone strength and develops strong immune systems. BIO goes as far as to say that "clones are the rock stars of the barnyard and therefore treated like royalty" (BIO). BIO also believes that cloning is no more invasive than vitro fewrilization, and leads to herd immunity. Since cloning leads to helathier animals the number of diseases will plummet, greatly reducing animal suffering. Yet, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), believes otherwise. HSUS declares "cloning is detrimental to animal welfare" (HSUS). The Humane Society does agree that cloning to add bone strength does work, but greatly increases pain. It is true that scientist are not yet sure on how to improve pain tolerance. This is only a reason to allow …show more content…
Plants already are cloned and are in the food supply. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are the reason certain foods can be consumed out of season. According to HSUS "[cloned] aniamls reportedly grew faster, leaner, and larger than those conventionally bred; prodced milk for prolonged periods. Developing more economically profitable sheep" (HSUS). This would be very benefical to the farmer, allowing them to make a better profit. As well as the consumer gettig better goods. The US FDA decided in "January 2008 that milk and meat from cloned animals such as cattle, pigs, and goats are as safe as thoses from non-cloned animals. The FDA action means that researchers are now free to use cloning methods to make copies of animals with desireable agricultural traits, such as high milk production or lean milk" (NHGRI). There will a few more years until their products will be in the grocery stores. Since 2008, the FDA adn the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) have done intense research, studing hundreds of reports, evulating the safty of these food (FDA). Their final conclusion was that "cloning poses no unique risk to animal health, [and that] the compositon of food products from cattle, swine, and goats, or the offsping of any animal clones, is no different from that of conventionally bred animals" (FDA). All meaning there are not a risk to the public, if they ate cloned foods. As of now only the