Seminar on Cloning: Nursing Ethics

1. Habtemariam M.
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2. P.by:
Habtemariam Mulugeta (Bsc)
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Habtemariam M.

3. Introduction
History of cloning
Cloning Techniques
Major Examples of cloning
Types of Cloning
Pros of cloning
The risks (Cons) of cloning
Ethical Arguments About Cloning
World Legislation and Policy on Cloning
Summery
Reference
Acknowledgment
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Outline of Presentation

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5. Objectives
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At the end of the session, you will be able to:
•Discuss the definition and techniques of cloning
•Explain the different types of Cloning
•Differentiate advantages and disadvantages of
Cloning
•Familiarize with ethical arguments of cloning

6. Introduction
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 In biology, cloning is the process of producing similar populations of
genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms
such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually.
 Cloning is the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of
another.
 This means that every single bit of DNA is the same between the two
 Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human.
 The term is generally used to refer to Artificial Human.
 Human cloning which is the reproduction of human cells and tissue.

7. History of cloning
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 1953 Structure of DNA discovered
 1993 Human embryos were first cloned (artificial embryo)
 July 5, 1996 Dolly was born, Organization: Roslin Institute at UK

8. Cloning Techniques
There are mainly three techniques employed for cloning:-
A) Embryo splitting: This involves the division of an embryo at pre-implantation
stage into equal halves which produce two genetically identical embryos.
B) Blastomere dispersal: In this technique, blastomeres derived from cell of egg
which is mechanically separated, enclosed in an egg membrane and transferred in a
suitable recipient to develop into normal individuals.
C) Nuclear transfer: In this technique, DNA is taken out from oocyte and along with
donor cell placed in petri dish & then electric current is sent through it to fuse as a
zygote which grows and divides to become blastocysts. This is then implanted in
the surrogate mother.
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9. Major Examples of cloning
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 Dolly – the first mammal cloned
using mature cell
 Dolly the Lamb in 1996
 Method: Nuclear transfer
 Organization: Roslin Institute at
UK and PPL Therapeutics
Photo from Ming Pao 18th August 2002

10. Cont.…
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Cumulina the Mouse in 1998
Organization: University of
Hawaii
Photo from Ming Pao 28th December 2002

11. Cont.…
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Cattle in 1998
Organization: Kinki University at Japan
Photo from Ming Pao 28th December 2002

12. Cont.…
• The first cloned cat, CC (Copy Cat).
• Was born in December 2001,
• Texas A&M University
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13. Cont.…
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 Generation of Prometea,2003
 Organization: A research laboratory in
Italy
Photo from Nature No.6949

14. Types of Cloning
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Types:
(1) Reproductive cloning (adult DNA cloning) would be
using cells to create cloned humans.
(2) Therapeutic cloning (biomedical cloning) is the use
of stem cells for medicinal or research purposes.
(3) Hybrid cloning is cloning by combining the
qualities of two organisms of different breeds,
varieties, species or genera.

15. Reproductive cloning
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 It is a technology used to generate an animal that has the same nuclear DNA as
another currently or previously existing animal.
 Produces a duplicate of an existing animal
 DNA from an ovum removed and replaced with the DNA from a cell removed
from an adult animal
 The fertilized ovum (called a pre-embryo) implanted in a womb and allowed to
develop into a new animal
 Very controversial: banned in many countries
Example:
• Human Cloning (Identical Twins)

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17. Habtemariam M.
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Remove Nucleus of Donor Egg

18. Habtemariam M.
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Fuse Cell and enucleated egg with electricity

19. Habtemariam M.
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Egg is fused with Cell

20. Therapeutic cloning
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• Initial stages identical to reproductive cloning However, stem cells
are removed from the pre-embryo to produce tissue for a whole
organ for transplant back into the person who supplied the DNA
• Its purpose is to extract the stem cells (These are "master" cells
that can develop into any type of cell - skin, bone, blood, etc) from
the embryos
• Stem cells can be used to treat heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer,
and various other diseases.

21. Cont.…
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1. Nucleus of an egg cell is replaced
with the nucleus of a body cell.
2. Egg cell is stimulated with
electricity.
3. Embryo grows.
4. Embryo stem cells are collected
and used to treat the donor.

22. Therapeutic Cloning 2
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23. Habtemariam M.
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24. • It is cloning by combining the qualities of two organisms of different
breeds, varieties, species or genera.
• The first hybrid human clone was created in November 1998, by
Advanced Cell Technology.
• It was achieved in a way that a nucleus was taken from a man's leg cell
and inserted into a cow's egg from which the nucleus had been removed,
and the hybrid cell was cultured, and developed into an embryo.
• The embryo was destroyed after 12 days.
• It is called hybrid because it uses two different power sources.
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Hybrid cloning

25. Habtemariam M.
25The embryo clone: A collection of stem cells produced using nuclear transfer
Cont.…

26. Pros of cloning
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• Potential benefits to modern medicine
• Helping infertile couples
• Reverse the aging process
• Protecting Endangered Species
• Improving food supply

27. The risks (Cons) of cloning
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• Reproductive cloning is expensive and highly inefficient
• Cloned animals tend to have more compromised
immune function and higher rates of infection, tumor
growth, Inheriting diseases and other disorders
E.g. Genomes of cloned mice are compromised, 4%
of genes function abnormally
• Defects in the genetic imprint of DNA from a single
donor cell may lead to some of the developmental
abnormalities of cloned embryos.

28. Cont.….
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• It prevents genetic variation
• It is unnatural
• It deprives clones of the right to be
unique
• It would be a psychological harm to
those born as a result of it

29. Cont.….
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• It treats children as commodities
• Ethically contentious
• Difficult to establish and maintain
• The cells of the clone can age faster than
the normal persons
• The Element of Uncertainty
• The Potential for Abuse

30. Ethical Arguments About Cloning
• In December 2001, the UK Parliament passed the Human Reproductive
Cloning Act to make human cloning illegal.
• In 2018 it was reported that about 70 countries had banned human cloning.
• Presently, cloning is limited to plants, algae, and unicellular organisms
naturally and artificially to animals.
• In bioethics, the ethics of cloning refers to a variety of ethical positions
regarding the practice and possibilities of cloning, especially human cloning.
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31. Cont.…
• While many of these views are religious in origin, the questions raised by
cloning are faced by secular perspectives as well.
• Religious groups are divided, with some opposing the technology as
usurping God's role in creation and, to the extent embryos are used,
destroying a human life.
• Human therapeutic and reproductive cloning are not commercially used;
animals are currently cloned in laboratories and in livestock production.
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32. Cont.…
The following are a few commonly given suggestions that Cloning is wrong because:
 The technology is unsafe at present, and could give rise to a large number of fetal
abnormalities, and children with a shortened lifespan or who suffer
 It prevents genetic variation
 It is unnatural
 It deprives clones of the right to be unique
 It would be a psychological harm to those born as a result of it
 It treats children as commodities.
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33. The loss of genetic variation argument
It runs that sexual reproduction is essential in producing variation
within the human species;
 cloning removes this variation and, thus, reduces genetic diversity –
this may in the long term threaten the survival of the species
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34. But:
o if only used in situations where infertile parents wished for genetically related offspring
o even if everyone in the world were to be cloned, genetic diversity would not change from
what it is now – in fact it would stay exactly the same. (This assumes that only one clone of
each person is made.)
o However, problems involving reduced diversity could arise if some individuals produce vast
numbers of clones,
e.g. if a ‘crazy dictator’ decides to create clone armies.
But:
• this objection is really to do with a misuse of a technology rather than an objection to the
technology itself.
• Baseball bats can be used when mugging someone, but this doesn’t mean we should ban
baseball.
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Cont.…

35. • If reproductive cloning were to be used, then it would have to be
regulated, as IVF and abortion are currently regulated.
• At the root of this sort of concern may be the fear that once we
allow certain procedures that involve tampering with the human
genome, there is a slippery slope to unacceptable eugenic policies
being introduced.
• This type of concern affects a number of genetic techniques,
including sex selection, pre-natal genetic diagnosis and selective
terminations.
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Cont.…

36. • A more common accusation is that cloning is ‘unnatural’ – it arouses a
feeling of uneasiness that cannot easily be clarified. This is sometimes
called the ‘yuck factor’.
• However, ‘unnatural’ does not always mean ‘morally wrong’.
• An objection to cloning must involve something over and above a sense of
being unnatural, or simply prompting a sense of disgust.
• The crux of the ‘it is unnatural’ argument may be to defend the notion that
technological developments should be used in such a way as to improve
humanity without destroying or detracting from what it is to be human.
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The ‘it is unnatural’ argument

37. • Can clones be unique if they are ‘copies’ of other people?
• We know that identical twins have identical copies of DNA, and at the
same time they exist as unique individuals with differing personalities.
• If we think of clones as ‘vertical twins’, rather than ‘horizontal’ ones,
there is no reason to suppose that they will be any less unique from their
vertical twins than identical twins are from their horizontal twins.
• In fact, given the different environments in which they are raised, we
could suppose that clones would be rather more different than horizontal
twins are.
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Clones are not ‘unique’Argument

38. • Next, there are those who object to human cloning on the
grounds of the harm that might be inflicted on the child.
• Indeed, the HFEA, which governs IVF treatment and the
use of embryos, indicates that the good of the child is
paramount.
• The sentiment of the Act is clear, but what exactly is the
nature of the harm that may be visited upon a clone?
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Psychological harm to the clone Argument

39. The harm is often described as psychological and may have at least two aspects.
1) there is said to be the burden a child would have of seeing exactly how they would appear at
various ages, by seeing photographs (or home videos) of their ‘parent’ at those ages.
• However, many sons and daughters already look at their parents and resign themselves to the
same fate, without suffering too greatly for it.
• Granted, the similarity will be greater between clones, but the idea that that fact will lead to
intolerable suffering, such that we consider it is better that child doesn’t exist, is
unsubstantiated.
2) there is the objection that the ‘parents’ may expect too much of their clones.
E.g. a concert pianist may clone himself and expect (to an unreasonable degree) his clone to
possess a similar talent for music.
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Cont.…

40. • Many parents may place unreasonable demands on their children in this
way.
• The children of doctors often feel pressurized into medical careers, but
no-one suggests that doctors don’t have children; what they suggest is
that children be accorded the freedom to flourish in areas of their own
choosing.
• Parents of clones may be more likely to expect too much of them
(because of certain preconceptions), but this is not an inevitable
consequence of cloning.
• Any harm that is isolated, if it exists, is located in the parenting, not the
act of cloning.
• Indeed, it may be that a planned child who is cloned may be more
cherished than one conceived accidentally.
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Cont.…

41. • There is the objection that cloning represents a
commodification of children and this in itself is wrong.
• Implicit in this claim, is that there is no morally admirable
reason for producing a clone.
• The standard reason given for wanting to clone oneself is
that cloning represents the only chance that a particular
individual can have a genetically related child.
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The commodification of children Argument

42. • The strength of this reason depends on whether people have a
right to have genetically related children.
• Thus, is the desire to have a genetically related child simply a
selfish one.
• It may be that while cloning in principle is morally acceptable
(i.e. for good purposes), in practice the only people who would
want clones would want them for morally unacceptable reasons
(e.g. unreasonably wanting to replace a dead child).
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Cont.…

43. • Different policies to regulate human cloning exist in different parts of world and it
ranges from no policy to complete prohibition.
• Most countries including United States have yet to pass any official legislation
regarding the cloning.
• African unions and Arab Leagues are also silent on this issue.
• More than thirty countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic,
Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Peru, Portugal, Spain,
Switzerland, Vietnam, South Africa and Russian Federation have banned human
cloning altogether.
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World Legislation and Policy on Cloning

44. • There are about fifteen countries such as Belgium, China, Columbia, Finland,
Israel, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey
and United Kingdom which have banned reproductive cloning but permit
therapeutic cloning.
• Indian government ethical policy document prohibits reproductive cloning but
permits therapeutic cloning considered on case by case basis by National Bioethics
Committee.
• The United Nations and European Council could not pass any resolution on
cloning because of disagreement among member countries regarding the views
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Cont.…

45. • Cloning is the production of one or more individual plants or animals (whole or in part) that are genetically
identical to an original plant or animal.
• Types: Reproductive cloning (adult DNA cloning), Therapeutic cloning (biomedical cloning), Hybrid cloning
• In 2018 it was reported that about 70 countries had banned human cloning
• Presently, cloning is limited to plants, algae, and unicellular organisms naturally and artificially to animals.
• Only the properly drafted legislation on techniques, guidelines, regulation of cloning by the world premier
policy making bodies like United Nations and European Council and its strict compliance by the member
countries can go a long way to maximize the gains and reduce the risk foreseen.
• Potential blessings of cloning should be weighed against the risks, so as not to outlaw the potential future
benefits that could be derived.
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Summery

46. Please…
•Questions
•Comments
•Suggestions
???
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47.  Nursing ethics—Case studies. I. Veatch, Robert M. II. Taylor, Carol, CSFN. III. Title. [DNLM: 1.
Ethics, Nursing—Case Reports. 2. Bioethical Issues—Case Reports. WY 85 F947c 2011] RT85.V4
2011 174.2—dc22
 http://www.scientificamerican.com/search/?q=human+cloning
 www.humancloning.org
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/03/health_stem_cell_guide/html/5.stm
 http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/153623002753632057
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Reference

48. • First I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to WU
CMHS for giving me this chance to enhance my knowledge and
in promotion of my ongoing profession.
• Secondly I would like to thank my instructor Dr. Caridad
Sanchez Olis for sharing me her deep knowledge, experience
and expertise.
• Last but not least I would like to thank my family and friends in
helping me in ideas and material during my entire work.
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Habtemariam M.
Acknowledgment

49. Thank You
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