Introduction To Cloning
In 1995 the technology to successfully clone animals became available. Although the FDA was initially weary of allowing clones into the American food supply, in 2008 FDA scientists concluded that the technology for cloning was safe enough to use for improving herds that were going to be slaughtered for meat or milked for dairy. Regardless of the FDA’s approval of animal cloning it raises many questions for the general public as well as those who feel that there should have been a comprehensive study of the long-term effects cloned food has on those who ingest it. Our view is that animal cloning should remain out of the food industry entirely.
Opposing View: Pro-Cloning
Most of the opposition to cloning comes from the fact that many believe it is unsafe to eat food products that come from cloned animals. This is certainly a valid assumption to make when one thinks about cloning it does not hold true after years of scientific testing done by the Food and Drug Administration. The process of cloning involves the replication of an embryo that is then placed inside the female. The female then gives birth to an animal that is identical to the one from which the embryo was duplicated. Therefore a cloned animal is still born in the way that any other animal is. The only difference is the way in which the animal is conceived. Research by the FDA indicates that the composition of animal clones is no different than animals born in a more conventional manner. Therefore, cloned food products are just as safe as those that are organic or not cloned.
Others oppose animal cloning because it causes a threat to the animal that is not apparent in natural mating. However, the FDA has concluded that there are no risks unique to the birthing process involved in cloning.
This is a picture of cloned pigs. Although many believe that cloning technology can breed mutated animals it is clear that advancements have been made in the field of cloning. These pigs look exactly like conventional pigs do, are made up of the same materials as conventionally bred pigs, and are just as safe to use in food production.
A common misconception about cloning is that clones are used to make food. In actuality clones are used to make copies of the most genetically blessed animals in a herd that are then used for conventional breeding methods. Many believe that cloning is not worth the cost. It can cost anywhere from $15,000-$25,000 to create a clone, but it is obvious that no animal creates that quantity of milk or meat. But, it is worth it to the farmers to copy the best and then breed them traditionally. In this sense cloning is actually a cost effective way to provide consumers with top-notch animal products.
Our View
Cloning animals is destroying the natural consumption of food, and is unethical . First off, consumers are unaware of whether or not their meat has been cloned or are from the natural animal. Although the FDA has approved cloned meat as safe, there are many negative affects to consuming cloned meat. The FDA has a responsibility to protect the health of its citizens and the tests that have been used to approve cloned meat as safe are vague. In “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Evaluation of the Safety of Clones” in Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society they write:
The FDA’s stance that its mission, to protect and advance the public health in relation to cloning animals, can be met without attending to value considerations is questionable not only because its own mission presupposes normative judgments but also because risk assessments are inevitably shaped by normative considerations.
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| Cloning Gone Wrong!!!! |
Cloned meat is more prone to carry diseases and harmful bacteria than the natural animal it came from. Although some may argue that cloned animals will help feed the world and increase the abundance of food, famers are cloning animals for money rather than to help the world. Obviously, money makes the world go round but what famer would decline the offer of $15,000 to $20,000 to clone one or two of his animals. The money makes this act scandalous and unethical in terms of greed and animal cruelty. The cloning of animals is hurtful to the original animal. The farmers and scientist are wasting time, and money, cloning these animals.
Just from the look of the animal, one cannot tell which the original is and which is the cloned. The look is not what troubles people on the subject of cloning animals. It is the moral stance and the question of if the animal is truly safe to consume. Looks cannot always present the facts. Looks can be deceiving, and it is best that one does not look at the animal to make a choice. When one buys a car do they just say “oh I like the way it looks, so they buy it.” No they consider the effects of gas, safety ratings and if the car is suitable for their everyday needs. Just like the cloned animal, the consumer should have the ability to make a choice and know all the details before they buy and consume the cloned animal.
Overall, the cloning of animals may be considered safe under the FDA, but is ethically immoral. The FDA to inform its citizens of the cloned meat verses the natural meat. It should be the choice of the consumer to choose cloned meat over natural meat. Just like vegetables and fruits, people have the choice to choose ones with chemicals or organic. The store, farmer and FDA gives the consumer the choice to choose their fruits and vegetables, so why not their meat.
