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Same-sex reproduction and cloning

Eh guys, if we treat the clone any less than a human, then it's our problem of being a dick. |: However, if it turns out to be like the Island, and we just make clones so we have donors, then that's crossing the ethical line.
 
I don't understand why everyone is so concerned about clones being used solely as donors. Why on earth would you clone an entire human, wait for him/her to grow, then use one of his/her organs when you could have just cloned the organ in the first place?
 
Actually, I'm sorta with you there. Why do we need full human clones? I don't find anything wrong with it, I just don't understand why (except perhaps in the case of saviour siblings which raises a whole mess of ethical questions completely unrelated to "just" cloning) anyone would want to make a person with identical DNA to another person.
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Because we can't have awesomely fiendish sci-fi plots without clones. :(

Also with Dannichu on the "but we can't be creating more people!" thing.
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Agreed. If anything, there's a degree of underpopulation in some western countries (and particularly a lack of *young* people - we've got quite enough old coots but not enough whippersnappers to look after them). There is the alternative solution of allowing more immigrants in to deal with the shortfall but that opens a whole different can of worms.

As well as being okay with cloning, I'd like to see greater inroads into genetic tinkering. There's quite a lot of stuff in my genes that I don't want to pass onto my children. D:
 
Well, in the movie, some billionaires and all commissioned the clones before any need, so if they do need the organs later on in life, they could just cut open the clone and get whatever they need. People like insurance, I guess.
 
Butterfree said:
Same-sex reproduction, yes all the way. There are not even those minor issues with it.
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To play devil's advocate a little bit here, there is the minor problem (which I think the Daily Mail has already done articles on, titles something to the effect of "MEN ARE BECOMING OBSOLETE BECAUSE OF SCIENCE!!!1") of the biological child of two women always being female. The only way I can see this ever being an even vague issue is if millions of lesbian couples start having kids this way. And hell, even if they do, the science exists to let two women have babies, so it's not like it'd cause humanity to die out, it'd just shift the gender gap a bit.

As far as I'm aware (I haven't done much research into this, so I could be totally off), zygotes made from two sperm haven't been explored as much. I dunno.
 
Zygotes made from two sperms are actually impossible, but it is possible to grow eggs from male cells. I'm not sure of the specifics but basically you get some stuff from one guy and make the stuff turn into an egg, and then you just do IVF normally from there.

So it's still egg + sperm = zygote but it's going through a somewhat laborious process. So. And yeah, I doubt this will skew the gender gap that much because let's face it, there are more straights than gays anyway. and ofc if the gays are doing it it's 50/50 boys/girls anyway!

so!
 
Dannichu said:
I really don't understand this "But the planet is so overpopulated! D:" argument at all. The people who would go for this sort of thing are a) an absolutely tiny minority and b) almost exclusively rich and Western. Rich Western countries do not have an overpopulation problem. The world globally might, and if you see it as a serious issue, take some condoms over to Africa and teach people how to use them (or at least fight for some decent sex ed in the country in which you currently live).
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Said rich Westerners can just as easily adopt a needy child.
 
Straight couples who want a kid can adopt a needy child, too. Going through this process is no more selfish than having a kid conventionally.

Again with my analogy of people driving a car while people in Africa die of AIDS.
 
I pretty much agree with much that was said in this thread.

Having a clone would be pretty cool. The House of The Scorpion anyone?

What would a person with two Y chromosomes look like?
 
What would a person with two Y chromosomes look like?
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Nothing, because the X chromosome contains vital genes and without it the zygote won't actually grow into a fetus.
 
In my opinion cloning is ethically neutral and should not be an issue at all; it is, or rather was, just an early, virtually useless step in the seemingly endless scientific journey to unveil the amazing structure of the genome and manipulate it to the best benefit of the human race.

If people are stupid enough to spend so much money to make a clone when they could adopt, make a baby with more favorable traits, or in some cases do it themselves the fun way, fine.
 
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