This document discusses organ cloning and genetic disorders. It begins with basic principles of genetics such as dominant and recessive alleles. It then discusses the human genome project and its goals. There are three types of genetic disorders: single gene disorders, multi-factorial disorders, and chromosome abnormalities. Ways to avoid genetic disorders include genetic counseling. The document presents four arguments for and against organ cloning and concludes that the benefits of organ cloning outweigh the concerns.
2. Basic Principles of Genetics A dominant alleles are always expressed when the allele is present. However recessive alleles are only expressed when there are 2 recessive alleles otherwise you wouldn't know if a recessive allele is present. If the traits are co dominant it means neither of the traits are dominant or recessive so they are both expressed. Each parent gives the offspring 23chromosomes so the offspring gets a total of 46 chromosomes.
3. Human Genome Project The project began formally in 1990. The main goal of the project was to identify the DNA sequence of every gene in the human genome. Some people think that this is wrong. Here are some reasons they think it is wrong-Legal- who should have access to your genetic informationSocial- If your job had access to this information you might not get the job.Ethical-should they test you for things even if there is no cure.Laws such as the GINA were created because people were worried about insurance premiums going up and not being able to get jobs the GINA law was created. The law states that people cannot be forced to get genetic testing. And if they did have knowledge about a disorder they cannot discriminate against you
4. Genetic Disorders There are 3 types if genetic disorders. There are Single gene disorder, Multi-factorial gene disorder, and chromosome abnormalities. You inherit Single gene(heredity) disorders unlike the other two. Examples of single gene disorders include cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, and myotonic dystrophy. Multi-factorial gene disorder likely associated with the effects of multiple genes in combination with lifestyle and environmental factors. heart disease and diabetes are some examples. Chromosome Abnormality usually occur when there is a mutation in cell division following meiosis or mitosis. Down Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Triple-X syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome and XXY syndrome are some examples of chromosome abnormalities.
5. Avoiding Genetic Disorders Although there is no way to “avoid” genetic disorders you can try to prevent them. You can go for genetic counciling which is when doctors tell you your chance of having a child with genetic disorders. They know this because they perform a pedigree(family tree that shows a which members of the family have a specific trait. A karyotypeshows a picture of all the chromosomes in a cell arranged in pairs. This is a Karyotype for downsyndrome
6. Agrument 1 I think that organ cloning is a great technology and we should use it. Imagine if someone you loved had a disease and they could cure it if they just cloned one of your organs. However if organ cloning is illegal the person has a much higher chance of dying because thousands of people are on the waiting list for organs and the chances of them getting one is very unlikely and even if they did get an organ your body could reject it.
7. Argument 2 Organ cloning is good because unlike organ transplants the body could not reject it because it is an exact replication of your organ There would be little to no risk because the organ would have the exact same DNA as the patient. This would save many lives because patients could get new organs almost immediately. Therapeutic cloning has been valuable for researchers. It allows researchers to test for possible cures or treatments of existing diseases and disorders such as Parkinson's and diabetes. The point of therapeutic cloning is not to create new life, it is to harvest stem cells that can be used to study human development and to treat disease
8. Argument 3 Most people don’t like cloning for ethical and religious reasons They think that genetically engineering organs is against God to clone organs and people The disadvantage where a lot of debate comes in is some people believe that a person exists at conception while others think that the somatic cell nuclear transfer during therapeutic cloning also creates life. During the process of extracting stem cells, the embryo is killed. Many people believe this is murder and to kill one person to cure another is not right.
9. Argument 4 As I said in argument 1 I strongly support organ cloning. I support it because if I had a disease where I needed a transplant I would much rather have my organs cloned than wait months and possibly years for a donor. Although those against it have a valid point I think the pros outweigh the cons.
10. I asked some of my friends and family what they thought of organ cloning… Here are the results
11. Conclusion I think that the government should give money for organ cloning because it will save many lives. It will create “cures” for diseases like sclerosis of the liver and kidney failure. There are many benefits that come from therapeutic cloning. Even though there are many points of why organ cloning is wrong I think that it is worth it to do.
12. Work Cited "About the Human Genome Project." Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/project/about.shtml>. "What Were the Goals of the Human Genome Project? - Genetics Home Reference." Genetics Home Reference - Your Guide to Understanding Genetic Conditions. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/hgp/goals>. "Single Gene Disorders." Reproductive Genetics Institute: PGD Experts. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.reproductivegenetics.com/single_gene.html>. "Genetic Disorder." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_disorder>. Tounzen, Shelley. "Pros & Cons of Therapeutic Cloning | EHow.com." EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles | EHow.com. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/about_5484506_pros-cons-therapeutic-cloning.html>.
