Cloning and Genetics

I remember having to write an argumentative paper for my composition course at UCCS during my first year. It had to involve several of the essays contained within the textbook for the class.

One of the essays/articles really caught my eye and I found it a fascinated read. It involved the increase in genetic technology. Medical costs for businesses are more expensive in the U.S. then they are in other countries and this is often a major complaint from large companies since they argue that this makes it more difficult to be competitive. As a result many companies have been lobbying for genetic testing to be conducted on any new employees hired so they can more adequately prepare for any major medical contingencies that may come up for the employee.

Now those against this primarily are concerned that this will lead to the destruction of our current social structure of "poor, middle, and upper class" replacing this with those who are genetically fit and those who aren't. This world was actually explored in the film Gattaca, which if you haven't seen stop reading this and get to the rental store now.

This of course was all several years ago now, and the current hub-bub is stem cell research and cloning. I actually believe that this will become more a moral warzone then abortion and euthenasia are currently.

The clones in the movie The Island are used as medical insurance policies. Need major organ replacement, no problem we can kill your clone and take the organ/s you need out, put them in you and you're good to go.

This is not that far of a stretch. Stem cell research has already evolved to a point where they are becoming close to finding methods of curing multiple serious diseases. Now what is not arguable is that this research could potentially lead to some of the biggest medical breakthroughs we've seen in decades - but the what can be argued is the question of ethics and morality.

Is it moral, is is it not moral? Why? If technology advanced to a point where you could have a clone created of yourself for medical purposes would you? Would you still do it if those clones had real emotions, feelings, and a personality? How do you feel about genetic screening?

I just find these things fascinating and I'm admittedly curious to see what other people think, or if you've even considered it.