Would a clone be different?

Do we not think that they can actually clone humans already? I am not saying that there are warehouses in the desert filled with clones, but I cannot believe that there are no cloned hiuman biengs in hte world yet.

A clone would not be different at birth, but it could grow to be different than you. If you grew up in the 80's, and then were cloned again in the year 2001, you would grow up with the X-box instead of Lincoln Logs. As stated earlier, twins could have a good one and a bad one, but they basically are the same person, just cloned, right?

What are lincoln logs?

Originally posted by esdad71
Do we not think that they can actually clone humans already?

I'd have to think that if you can clone a sheep and cat you can clone a human. Infact the experiments that have been done haven't produced a person merely because they haven't been allowed to go to term.

If it were legalized, for what reasons would you think it would be bad, or wrong, or what?

Mainly I'd be concerned about the clones. They would learn that they were "not natural"...maybe that would make them feel inferior to the rest of us. Just imagine being told that you were a clone...wouldn't you feel a little alienated from everyone else?

Plus, I just have a strong feeling that they wouldn't be treated like regular human beings. I just don't think it would be fair to the clone LOL...

Also there's the chance that something could go wrong in the cloning process...resulting in genetic defects, diseases, etc.... what happens then? That person will suffer because of what you did...I don't believe that life is necessarily a "great gift"...that we would be doing that clone any favors.

Also, what would the intention be to have a clone? Harvesting organs? Just for fun? There are just so many ethics that are involved.... The clone has rights too...It just seems like a really sticky messy situation that is probably best left alone.

Quite frankly, I don't have enough faith in humankind to be able to pull something like this off... successfully....



[edit on 10/26/2004 by Lecky]

Originally posted by Lecky
Plus, I just have a strong feeling that they wouldn't be treated like regular human beings. I just don't think it would be fair to the clone LOL...

This is probably true. I can see it now... Schoolchildren encircling the cloned boy or girl on the playground, being mean like little kids do. And then when the clone grows up, there are still the mean kids, but now they are lawyers, and preachers, and politicians. Yes, this could be a mess.

Also there's the chance that something could go wrong in the cloning process...resulting in genetic defects, diseases, etc.... what happens then?

Good point. Of course there will be mistakes made in the process to perfection, just as there have been in cloning animals, but if the public were to know of horrific, botched monstrations of the flaws of genetic research. Some would certainly disagree. That's a word, right, monstration?

Well if it wasn't, it is now!

Originally posted by Nygdan

chakotay
I will not hesitate to give her the gift of resurrection

How do you figure its a resurection? The techonology is there right now anyway. But how do you figure it makes a difference?

Nygdan, after many years of the long life that I pray you are blessed with, if you truly love and are loved by someone they are going to lose you or you are going to lose them. It is impossible to understand the depth of this loss or what one would be willing to do to to restore the life that was lost until it happens to you. 'What Dreams May Come' comes to mind. This loss is different than 'breaking up', etc. If you view the core element of being as DNA, then restoring that DNA to functionality is resurrection. The spiritual soul may go on; I believe it does. But we know the DNA is the pattern of being. DNA is the original fight against entropy. All prophecies of all people speak of a time past and future where resurrection technology existed and will exist. The technology does exist now; legislation banning ALL human cloning would prevent the research, except in deep black laboratories. I think legislation should be very detailed, preventing things such as 'purpose-built' castes, soldiers, mass cloning, and so on. But one-for-one resurrection, perhaps with a limit on total living family size- let's say I just have a very deep felt self-interest in seeing the realization of resurrection technology. People are afraid of the paradoxes- I say, bring 'em on, paradox is the spice of life !

Originally posted by Chakotay
There's another reason to clone, and its not eugenics. My wife was killed in a car accident many years ago, and I had the coroner preserve a DNA sample. He had no idea what I was talking about back then. I had worked on the Human Genome Project at Stanford, so I did know what I had in mind. My wife's remains were cremated at her family's request, but I still have her DNA. If and when cloning becomes practical and legal, I will not hesitate to give her the gift of resurrection. My dog tags read: Preserve DNA Sample. Morbid? Maybe. Possible? Definitely. With rising infertility, in-vitro is becoming a neccesity anyway. Why not raise great-grandma if you've got no viable eggs?

Understandable (and my sympathies) and interesting.

It ties into a sad situation in my family -- my daughter, who very much wants to have a child, has had to have a hysterectomy because she has severe endometriosis and fibromyalgia. I hadn't thought of it, but cloning would allow her to be able to pass along her own genetic material (or mine or her father's or whomever.)

One thing to be aware of is that although truly clones are twins, they will be genetic twins but they will not have identical appearances. This surprised me, but studies of cloned animals show that there are some physical differences based on the environment in the womb.

Originally posted by esdad71
Do we not think that they can actually clone humans already? quote]

No.

As far as I know, the only clones have been animals. The Raelians report they've got clones, but the rest of the world has serious doubts and they have never presented the "children" to be tested.

The process is very difficult and some clones have had unusual problems (Dolly the sheep aged early compared to her contemporaries.)

Originally posted by LeckyMainly I'd be concerned about the clones. They would learn that they were "not natural"...maybe that would make them feel inferior to the rest of us. Just imagine being told that you were a clone...wouldn't you feel a little alienated from everyone else?

As Gaz said, this pretty much parallels the "first test tube baby" shriek and howl. Yes, religious people said these babies would have no souls and they'd be freaks. The doctors protected the babies' identities for a long time, and by the time the kids found out what had happened, the fuss was pretty much a non-issue.

Would their be public knowledge. Maybe the Raelian(?) hoax was a test of the public and media reaction to see if we were ready to accept it? Anyway, Bieng a little more out there with my thinking, but, if I know I could grow a clone of myself so I could have a 20 y/o heart when I am 75, woiuld you be able to kill your self essentially.