Feedback to Human Cloning

[Wayne]

很高興藉由這次YOYO的討論，對複製技術有了粗淺認識。以下是將個人意見加以整理，其中部份理論可能有些荒謬無知，請不吝指正。還有某些論點可能足以引起爭議，請勿太認真對待。畢竟，我只是想練習一下作文而已。

As we know, there are reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning. Let me first talk about reproductive cloning.

There are a few reasons why reproductive cloning is acceptable. To start with, we may apply cloning technology to the reproduction of animals before we do the similar experiment on human beings. Besides, for the animals' own sake, we may save some endangered species in the world, such as giant pandas, Siberian tigers, and just to name a couple, which are on the verge of extinction. In addition, we may save our time in getting more production out of animals. For example, we may not have to wait for natural fertilization of the cows and the gestation of the calves, which takes unexpected time.

However, reproductive cloning should not go without some limitations. First, the ecological balance should be well kept and the food chain should not be broken. If we clone one species of the animals, say, the Siberian tigers, they may help reduce other species of animals which fall as the tigers' prey. This is definitely not what we are pleased to see. Therefore, the reproductive cloning must be limited to a certain number. Second, when we get the production out of the cloned animals, it must be in a humane way. For example, we should not strip the skin from cloned furry animals alive; otherwise, we'd rather not mass reproduce these poor animals. Third, no cloning of harmful animals or the likes will be allowed. We have already had plenty of harmful animals, such as poisonous snakes. If there are more poisonous snakes created by cloning, it will be more threatening to human beings or other animals.

On the other hand, the idea of therapeutic cloning is also reasonable. Replacing the old skin with a new one taken from the cloned tissue is what a lot of people would like to do. Moreover, we are talking about the cloning of some of the human organs, such as limbs, wombs, livers, pancreas, lungs, or even hearts. The cloned organs can save a lot of patients who suffer amputation, infertility, hepatitis, diabetes, pulmonary disorders, or heart disease. Before the patients are going to have a failure in their organs, it can be replaced by the transplant of the spare organ deposited in the organ bank, which is similar to something we have already had: the umbilical cord blood bank. With the deposited organs, many lives will be saved.

However, the cloning of a whole human being should not be allowed. The cloned identity is also a life when it has the brain and the ability to think. When it is created, it is a new life, just like a new born baby. When the cloned identity is born, it will not have the memory the original has as long as we have not found the way to transfer the memory from one cerebral lobe to another. The parents will raise up the baby just as they did the original identity. A problem rises when the original identity needs a heart transplant, which is supposed to be taken from the cloned identity, it is impossible to save the original identity by killing the cloned identity, or even removing just one vital organ from the cloned identity. Are we supposed to clone another identity to save the donor identity? It is almost improbable. Nevertheless, I believe the brainstem may be allowed to be cloned such that patients who are permanently on the life sustaining equipment can survive without it.

In a like manner, therapeutic cloning also should have its restrictions. First of all, therapeutic cloning should be solely applied to medical use when absolutely needed. The process must proceed in the lab; non-therapeutic use is prohibited, let alone private or commercial use. Most of all, the cloning is not based on any purpose for criminal uses.

To conclude, reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning should be adequate under some conditions, respectively. We expect that the state-of-the-art technology will help us a great deal, only after the technology is matured and perfect and all the related regulations are soundly established.

[wilson]

哇! 看得有點辛苦
不過沒參加討論也是可以有一些收穫
謝謝Wayne!

[Grace]

wow.....Wayne
可見你非常用心在聽ㄟ
還能寫出一大篇文章出來
寫的真好
真是很感動

[Denise*]

Thank you Wayne. You really do a great job for YOYO...Thank you.

[Jong]

Wayne, you do did it!.
I suggest that someone could post some feedback after the meeting.
So, one with poor English like me can improve his English.
On the other hand, the people who can't attend the meeting still can join the topic on the forum.
We share our opinions each other and post it, then the more people can come back typing their thought at different time, location.
There will be more interactive between the members, and combine with our relationship.

Thank Wayne for sharing yor opinion, and thank Grace for the great article.
We learn a lot of from it not only the English but also the biotechnology!
The members gave very interesting proposal that made the meeting more fun!

Jong

[Grace]

Jong
我也覺得你提出的是一個好主意
這樣我們有時雖然不克出席
可是也以身歷其境
那這星期三就該你寫feedback了吧!

[Wayne]

我寫這篇文章實在是野人獻曝，目的在於拋磚引玉：希望來參加聚會的朋友除了來練習聽、說英文之外，對主持人的辛苦準備也算一點小的回饋，而不能來參加聚會的朋友也可以藉文字發表意見；同時，這也是一個鍛鍊寫作的機會。

YOYO是多元化學習英文的地方，基本上已包括練習說、聽、讀的技巧。我一直主張我們在來聚會之前，除了事先閱讀相關主題的文章外，最好事先用英文寫下個人的意見，以免臨場詞窮；並且，事先將寫好的意見大聲多唸幾遍，臨場比較不會舌頭打結。現場所要磨練的就剩聽的部份了。如果你每次都這麼認真準備的話，相信你的英文必能突飛猛進。

請大家踴躍以英文寫下你的心得或回饋回到論壇貼文。如果你願意的話，可以在貼文之前將稿子寄到我郵箱，我可以幫你看一下內容。

理想：也許有朝一日我們會擴大練習範圍到翻譯、演講、辯論方面。

[Grace]

I found the original paper of sheep Dolly from Nature Journal:

http://biocrs.biomed.brown.edu/Books/Ch ... ATURE.html

Take a look if u r interested!!
Don' be frustrated. It's normal that u may not understand....to professional!!