Biotechnology and Ethics

Studies in biotechnology have advanced the field of medicine and also has application in agriculture and many other fields. Individuals working in the biotech field have made advancements in cloning animals. Cloning has raised many ethical and moral questions for those working in the biotech field, government and the general public. Although cloning may help those in the biotech field locate cures, study medications and breed out disease causing genes, the ethical questions involved are extensive. Even though the applications for biotechnology appear to be endless, there are those that believe cloning in not ethical. They may believe this because of religious reasons. However, there are those that are simply terrified of what the future of cloning will bring to the human race.

Those working in the biotech field are on the forefront or research and cures for some diseases, both human and animal. When the cloning process first came to light, there were no laws dictating what was allowed or ethical. The problem is that laws often lag behind technology. There were many that believed cloning was never a real possibility. However, Biotechnology brought cloning to our attention with Dolly the sheep. When the world saw Dolly, they were either amazed or horrified. Suddenly, the available applications of cloning were being discussed at medical facilities and in front of office water coolers. Yet, it did not take long for people to ponder what could go wrong in cloning.

People began to imagine a clone of themselves walking the earth. Movies were made and books were written, telling horror stories of clones. For example, there was a movie that confronted the possibility of human clones being created, just in case we needed spear body parts or transplants. The ethical questions in biotechnology are difficult to ponder. In medicine, the goal is to prolong human life and to keep humans as healthy as possible. At what expense should those in the biotech industry do so? Moral and ethical questions may have different answers for everyone and they may change with time. You may be against cloning until you find that your child needs a heart transplant and there are no matches available. Your child is running out of time. You think to yourself that it you wish you could find a match. If only there was a clone of your child’s heart. Now, there can be. What comes after that? Do we begin cloning those we love, in case we lose them? When does the field of biotechnology put the brakes on?

Biotechnology has the possibility of finding cures and extending life spans. Like any field in medical research, ethical and moral questions should be approached before the research begins. Once research has begun, it may be too late to make the appropriate ethical decisions. The damage may have already been done. There will always be the possibility that cloning technology will get out of hand, or land in the wrong hands. Those in the biotech field must think not only of how they can help people, but also, the very really possibility of harm that cloning can cause.