Hatrack River Forum: The trouble with cloning

This is topic The trouble with cloning in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :

I'm suprised this hasn't come up here since the latest breakthrough.
My problem with cloning treatments is that in the current scientific zeitgeist, all disorders are considered genetic. So what good is it to be treated with your own "defective" DNA?
Other problems include the cellular aging. If we ever get the technology to manipulate cellular aging, why would we need to go through a clone or stem cell to us it?

Currently you can only clone a fertile young woman using DNA from a cell that was in contact with the egg already. If a cell's protective resources can be lowered enough to accept other DNA, what might be the ramifications of introducing such a cell to a diseased body?

Edited to tone down sentimental sanctity of life declaration.

[ February 13, 2004, 05:37 PM: Message edited by: pooka ]

Posted by scottneb (Member # 676) on :

The only thing that I can think of is to fix a problem that arizes later in life. Some people get weird diseases that tear apart their DNA. Treatments like that might help to 'refresh' the persons DNA. Although I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :

Scott:

Your honesty is refreshing. And amusing. [Smile]

Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :

quote:
Finally, why are liberals averse to medical research on animals but not on human embryos?

Sorry, but I really hate this. It is so blind to lump "liberals" together like this as if there were some giant liberal creedo that all non-right wing people had to read and sign. (Put on the other foot, the shoe would be "Why are conservatives so concerned about unborn fetuses but couldn't care less about children living in poverty and working in sweatshops", which, yes, is equally intellectually dishonest.)

Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :

Here;s a question, say we develop a way to clone tissue. Lung tissue, do we sue the tobacco manufactures when we need lung transplants? Seriously though, if you remove the risk of rejection and the immunosupresives the major risk then is just the surgery, right? It opens up a whole big can o'worms.

Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :

Okay, I'll edit it (so Karl's remark had an antecedent). I am much more concerned about the not apparently political question about whether most disease is genetic.