Assignment question:Do you think that human reproductive cloning is morally permissible?  Do you think that it should be permitted by law?  It is imperative that you justify and defend your position

Assignment question:

Do you think that human reproductive cloning is morally permissible?  Do you think that it should be permitted by law?  It is imperative that you justify and defend your position based on cogent arguments.  Make sure that you justify your position by carefully examining some of the benefits Harris enumerates in favor of cloning as well as some of Kass's objections.

Direct and expectations for paper:

Short writing assignments must be no less than two hundred (200) of your own words. This means that quotations do not count against the two hundred words. I will not even read assignments shorter than the required minimum of 200 words (I use a program to monitor word-count) and you will automatically receive zero (0) points for any such assignments. I expect a professionally written essay that is well formulated, without spelling and grammatical errors. I will deduct points for sloppily written essays (see the rubric below). In your essay you should address the question posed directly and thoroughly. You do not need to waste too much space on background unless the question of the essay specifically demands such background.

Sample good paper per instructor please do not use but please have same layout:

Opinion

I went into this topic with an open mind, and I didn’t really know much about it. After reading both essays, I could see pros and cons for both sides of the argument on cloning. While I still am mostly on the fence about this topic, I find myself leaning more toward accepting human reproductive cloning. When it comes to events, such as the death of a loved one, I find it to be a weird thought that there would be a possibility that they could be cloned, and personally, I don’t think it would be the same. It makes me think, though, would I rather have a cloned copy of my loved one, or would I rather them be gone forever? When I think of it that way, the choice becomes easy for me. I would rather them be with me than never be able to see them again, even if it is just a cloned copy of them. I also think of the benefits human reproductive cloning could have for people who are unable to have children, such as gay couples, which adds to why I am more accepting of cloning.

Harris’s Argument

In Harris’s essay, he focuses on the ways in which human cloning could be used to benefit people, but he also discusses the possible ways it can be abused, as well. The advantages of it that he mentions are that it offers a way for people who are unable to have children, to be able to. He also says that it could increase the availability of organs. With human cloning, organs could be cloned from another person and used as a transplant. Another potential benefit to human reproductive cloning, according to Harris, is that it could offer a new area of genetic research to combat diseases once the process of human cloning is perfected.

Kass’s Argument

The main point of Kass’s essay is to discuss why she thinks human reproductive cloning is wrong. She argues that when people think of human cloning, they perceive it as odd and feel disturbed by it. Therefore, in her opinion, that probably means that there is something wrong about it. She also argues that people who are cloned would suffer from identity issues because it forces a child to feel as if they have to live up to their parents’ expectations. She discusses the three arguments of cloning: the technological, the liberal, and the meliorist. In the technological argument, she says that cloning would be viewed as an extension of existing techniques for helping with reproduction and the genetic makeup of children. The main argument of the liberal perspective is that as long as no one is cloned without consent, and if they are not physically harmed, then there is nothing wrong with it. The final argument, the meliorist perspective, is that cloning can help improve the human species. It can ensure that all individuals are healthy and we can even create humans who are very intelligent.

Conclusion

While I do think human reproductive cloning can definitely be used to benefit people, I also take into consideration Kass’s arguments against it and recognize that she made very good points, as well. I am mostly on the fence in regards to human cloning, because I do see the good and bad in it. However, I think that overall, the good outweighs the bad, in my opinion.

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