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Well, if you listened to all of the hoopla coming from the field of genetics this past week you know there’s been a major breakthrough in the area of cloning.

A group of scientists published in the journal, Cell, that they created embryonic stem cells using human skin cells, wow.

Of course, cloning of animals like sheep is not new. it’s been done but we’re talking humans here.

Now, the act of cloning has been the subject of a lot of controversy. Some folks don’t feel humans should be in the business of  “Playing God”. Some others point out that the animals that have been cloned so far have been sickly and died.

Still others oppose cloning and embryonic stem research since, in order to use such cells, the embryo is destroyed.

But embryos used in this study were different since they were reportedly developed from skin cells and eggs, and would not have grown into babies.

And many advocates of embryonic stem research point to how such science can ultimately save millions of lives by using these healthy cells to cure diseases like cancer.

It’s a fairly complex issue and, of course, cloning is not the same thing as using embryonic stem cells for therapeutic or health purposes but the two are related.

Reproductive cloning is not therapeutic as it goes much farther and takes actual steps to replicate life.

That’s why many are against all of it because they feel it is human nature to keep pushing until we create a bunch of Frankenstein monsters who ravage and burn the countryside.

Which is kind of creepy. Still, we should at least be informed about these 21st century issues in science, because knowledge is power.

And for me personally, if I move to a new neighborhood and go to a barbeque where I know that all the females are acting like the Stepford Wives, I have the power to raise up out of there.

I’ll leave you with this quote from former president, Bill Clinton:

“Banning human cloning reflects our humanity…. Creating a child through this new method calls into question our most fundamental beliefs. It has the potential to threaten the sacred family bonds at the very core of our ideals and our society. At its worst, it could lead to misguided and malevolent attempts to select certain traits, even to create certain kind of childrento make our children objects rather than cherished individuals.”

Seeing Double?  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com