Reasons Why Cloning is Unethical Essay Example for Free

Reasons Why Cloning is Unethical Essay From the day that ‘Dolly the sheep’ made it to the headline news, the controversy regarding her existence has never ceased. It is quite amazing, how the issues surrounding a sheep could create such a great divide on public opinion, stir up much debate in scientific halls, and whose implications caused a dilemma that reached a magnitude which needed a presidential decision. Needless to say, the debate did not concern agriculture or animal rights, but on how she came to be by cloning. Contrary to popular belief, these clinical ventures though, were not done by sheer sense of adventurism, or by simple acts of human arrogance of ‘playing God’. Instead, this breakthrough in the field of biotechnology, along with other related cases, was carried out with the legitimate purpose of propagating livestock that carry desirable traits. Breeders can easily then raise farm animals that have the preferred traits and thus increase productivity and yield. Also, lab research for the noble intention of developing drugs, require numerous testing on animals before it can finally be declared effective and safe for human use. Cloning would allow them to produce test-animals that display similar or identical characteristics and thus help validate results. There are several other reasons why cloning is held by many scientists as an essential means for improving human condition. However, such so-called conditions had now been raised to the point of fulfilling needs other than physical necessities. Man’s many woes and flaws in life such as the pain of losing a loved one or childless couples having to bear the unfulfilled desire of loving and rearing their own children, are just a few of the many disadvantages that confronts finite man. Today through science, man is longing to challenge and ‘correct’ these impossible odds. Would cloning be the answer? II. Man’s Contemporary Alternative: Merits of Cloning-to Produce-Children Distinguished British philosopher Mary Warnock, expressed her support in favour of utilizing the technology of cloning to produce children. She believes that there is nothing wrong with this procedure and thereby there should be no question on the ethical soundness of such an endeavour (Connor, 2002). Together with the rest of those who agree with her, they believe that cloning offers an excellent solution for the following problems: A. To Help Sterile Parent/s Obtain Biologically Related Children Individuals or parents who long to have their own offspring, but are hindered by sterility or some other reason the only presented solution so far have been adoption. There are different reasons why some had found this unsatisfactory. With cloning, a sterile man can now have the opportunity of producing a child that bears his own characteristics. The need to find a sperm donor is eliminated, and consequently eliminates the possibility of their child acquiring and passing on undesirable traits to future generation outside the couple. Such a method also opens for an attractive possibility not only for sterile couples but for homosexual couples and individuals who desire to raise a child of their own but do not want the entanglements of a marriage union. B. Pass-on a Genetic Disease Individuals or parents who carry defective genes such as a genetic disease can now hope to eliminate passing the disease to the following generations. Cloning would assure the parents of being able to raise children who will not be troubled by the heritable disorder. C. Pain of Losing a Loved One The grief of losing a loved one can now be alleviated by cloning the dying or dead significant person. Since cloning involves the passing on of exact physical characteristics, producing a cloned individual would invariably cause ‘replication’ of the deceased loved one or relative. Those who are left, will be comforted by ‘seeing’ their dead spouse, child or relative ‘live again’ on the cloned individual. Although, there would be major differences in experiences which would make it entirely impossible to make an exact copy of an individual in all aspects, cloning would bring a connection of the lost loved one with the grieving members. D. Society’s Desire to Have Individuals with Superior Abilities or Qualities Cloning brings families and societies to have super-human individuals by cloning outstanding athletes, musicians, men and women renowned for their beauty, or geniuses. By replicating these individuals, it is presumed that these superior qualities are determined by certain genetic make-up and thus, will be passed on through cloning. III. Reasons for Argument Cloning violates the ethics of human experimentation on the following grounds: A. Concern on Safety Of utmost concern when cloning humans is the high risk involved. As of the moment, the cloning procedure being done in experimenting mammals has shown how unsafe it is to be even applied in humans. Many embryos got wasted as it took 277 attempts before finally producing Dolly the sheep (Gawler, 2000). Barely just being six years old later, Dolly became severely ill and had to be submitted for euthanasia. Careful examination revealed that her chromosomes had shown premature signs of aging (â€Å"Cloning†). The possibility of creating inborn abnormalities or congenital defects caused by the procedure should even bring parents with a hereditary disease not to employ cloning. While it could hold promise of not passing on genetic diseases to their child, the latter is also vulnerable for congenital malformation. Also, since several donor eggs and substitute mothers are needed before achieving success, this places risks on several women. Experiments on animals had shown that there is high occurrence of premature abortion on cloned fetuses. If done on humans, continous abortion could lead to greater possibility of maternal death. B. The Issue of Consent Cloning also undermines the right of the cloned individual. In contrast to the risks that could bring to surrogate mother or the gene donor, the risks posed at the cloned individual do not have the individual’s consent. Most often, the right to exercise freedom is often called by those who promote it. This is often based on the ‘freedom to reproduce’. This means that the constitution protects individuals or parents to freely choose whether they are to have children or not (Eisenstadt v. Baird, 1972). However, in exercising that right, it overrides the freedom of choice on the cloned individual. True, reproductive freedom permits anybody to decide whether to have a child or not without hindrances by the government. It does not however, in any way, allow anyone to do it by whatever means and in complete disregard for the welfare of others. C. Possible Exploitation of Women Since cloning requires numerous tests before any attempts could become fruitful, large quantity of donor eggs will be needed. Getting the egg would subject the woman donor of hormonal treatment that gives high health risks. Furthermore, what would most likely happen is that these women donors would be offered a substantial amount of money, and thus could lure poor women to compromise their health in exchange for financial gain (Council on Bioethics, 2002). IV. Conclusion More often, the concern for safety is limited on the aspect of limiting or perfecting the procedure. It does not consider the possible undesirable effects it would have after it is accomplished. This perspective of safety does not take consideration on the unexpected effects it would have on the individual, family involved and society in general. The relationships between members of those with cloned children would greatly be altered compared to conventional family set-up. Would the cloned individual of a father be his child or twin? Obviously, cloning will rearrange how family relations will be treated. Before any attempts to cloning-to-produce children be done, would be parent/s should give grave concern on the potential psychological effects this would have on the one being cloned. What also needs special consideration is it’s the social impact caused by confusion. Cloning might open for unnecessary expensive legal battles, over custody as to who really are the child’s parents. Each individual who has a part of the cloned child might fight to claim for custody over the child. Given that such asexual means to produce children is not strange, faulty or imperfect, there is serious error on the purpose by which it longs for implementation. It places more significance on the one which will be cloned by replicating the person, rather than the cloned child. Human experience has revealed that man has the tendency to abuse, and therefore such technology can be used for vain reasons. Cloning somehow claims to provide solutions for man’s problems, the solution however, creates more problems. Given the demerits of the cause, it would far benefit society to keep from toying with strange methods. Works Cited: 1. Connor, S. (2002). Warnock: ‘No ethical reason to ban cloning’. The Independent. Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008 Accessed at http://www. independent. co. uk/news/uk/crime/warnock-no-ethical-reason-to-ban- cloning-649619. html 2. Gawler, DM. Human cloning: Scientific, ethical and regulatory issues. [Electronic Version] Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008 Accessed at http://www. aph. gov. au/house/committe/LACA/humancloning/sub234. pdf 3. â€Å"Cloning†. Ethical Issues in Biology. Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008 Accessed at http://itech. pjc. edu/jwooters/eth_issue/ei_notes. htm 4. Supreme Court of the United States (1972). , Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 US 438 5. Council on Bioethics. (2002). Human cloning and human dignity: An ethical inquiry. Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008. Accessed at http://www. bioethics. gov/reports/cloningreport/children. htmlhttp://www. bioethics. gov/reports/cloningreport/children. html

Risk Management Essay -- Investment Business Risk

What is risk? "Simply put, risk is uncertainty. The more risk you take, the more you stand to lose or gain. You cannot expect high returns without taking substantial risks." Tossing a dice, is at basic level a risky endeavor. The outcomes are thrown open to uncertainty. You take risk everytime you act, from crossing the street; to buying a stock. Generally when people talk about risk, they focus on financial risk. In terms of finance, it is the risk that a company or individual could lose some or all of the original investment, possibly resulting in inadequate cash flow to meet financial obligations. The concept of risk is not a simple concept in finance. You cannot make wise investments without first considering risk. To be successful, every investor must be able to identify and understand the types of risk they face across their entire portfolio. Measuring risk is just as important as measuring returns. In the financial world, risk is often expressed as volatility of returns. Volatility measures how variable outcomes are likely to be. Standard deviation is a general statistical measure of volatility. It measures historical variability of returns from their mean. A higher standard deviation implies more variable and uncertain returns. Measuring risk on a portfolio basis shows how well diversified your investments are, where the largest gains and losses are likely to be conc... ...my is in recession, and on what grounds? What actually constitutes a recession, anyway? When a nation's economy enters a recession, is life guaranteed to get harder for most of its citizens?" (http://www.howstuffworks.com/recession.htm) How do you know when you're taking too much risk? Or not enough? Risk is a natural part of this world, and indeed, risk can present great opportunities for those who understand and know how to manage it. Advances in risk management theory have had a tremendous impact on global economic development. Now we have powerful ways to analyze risks and make stable decisions about the future. We can identify and measure different types of risk, and decide which ones to take and which ones to avoid.

Act III Scene II Consider the dramatic significance of this episode in the play

As an audience, we can foresee the sinister turn of events which will be marked by the appearance of Don John in the latter part of this scene. Having earlier witnessed the deceitful and slanderous plot conjured up between he and Borachio during their discussion, implementation of the plan seems imminent. And yet the descent from the comedy of Benedick trying to pass off his love-sickness as toothache to the threatened tragedy of Hero's slander is perhaps far more rapid than we might have anticipated. The earlier jovial mockery of Benedick by Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio provides a striking contrast with the underlying malice of the deliberately ambiguous and disparaging remarks from Don John. Yet such ambiguity seduces Claudio and Don Pedro in a remarkably similar way to the double meanings and innuendo which deceived Benedick earlier on. Don John demonstrates an ability to manipulate his language in a successful bid to influence and target the weaknesses of his audience; that is, Claudio and Don Pedro. He has a shrewd understanding of the court and his insinuations about Hero play upon the tensions within it relating to honour and status. Don John opens with a customary courteous greeting before baiting both men with his declaration that he has something of interest to reveal concerning them both: ‘If your leisure served, I would speak with you / yet Count Claudio may hear; for what I would speak of concerns him.' ‘I know not that, when he knows what I know'. With their curiosity secured, Don Pedro conveys a rather convoluted proclamation of regret and remorse for the bad news he is about to impart, ‘You may think I love you not: let that appear hereafter†¦' and when combined with his fallacious self-deprecation, we observe further his dexterity as their sympathy and trust is won. As he continues with his tacit allegations, Don John uses a loose and undefined disparagement ‘disloyal' which would imply a certain reluctance to accuse Hero, yet his following remark; ‘The word is too good to paint out her wickedness' incites the other men to affix their own condemnation of her. A dramatic irony here ensures the audience's perception of this as a further ruse whilst for the seemingly naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and gullible Claudio and Don John, it makes the hurried offer of immediate visual evidence irresistible; ‘Go but with me tonight, you shall see her chamber-window entered', a crude vaginal symbol is used to further offend the newly enamoured Claudio, who in his youthful inexperience has believed in his betrothed's virginity. Their melodramatic exclamations in response to this, one after another, serve to indicate ironically how they, who tricked Benedick, have been no less suddenly transformed. Claudio asks rhetorically ‘May this be so?' and vows if it is, ‘†¦should not marry her tomorrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there I will shame her'. The marked use of sibilants serves to emphasise his fury, suggesting suspicion and fear to be the other side of Claudio's idealisation and the aggressive denunciation may arise from a personal insecurity urging him to make such a pledge. In Messina sexual relations are complicated by conventions and illusions, Claudio has already tried and found Hero guilty before even witnessing the evidence. Such a rash conviction is reminiscent of his earlier behaviour during the masked ball in Act II Scene I which gave us foresight of Claudio's impulsive and fickle characteristics, a man so easily influenced by the ‘hearsay' from Don John and his own irrationality and mistrust in women. Though it is easy to criticise and condemn Claudio for such tenuous judgements, one must not disregard Messina'a patriarchal society and the sense of superiority to women which regulated masculine loyalties. Such loyalty is evident in Don Pedro, who; when informed of Hero's alleged infidelity, endorses Claudio's vengeance by offering to ‘join with thee to disgrace her'. Such is Don Pedro's influence and arrogance that Claudio offers to accompany his departure from Messina on the wedding day. We must now question Don Pedro's willingness to join Claudio's slandering of Hero which not only seems cowardly but most absurd having himself been the ‘accused' by the same source of indictment – his rebel brother, the bastard Don John. Whilst for an audience of the twenty-first century this continued credulous behaviour might seem somewhat contrived, we must consider that Don John, a melodramatically sketched, stereotypical villain, serves a thematic and narrative function. His role is principally to expose the flaws within others, namely his brother Don Pedro and Claudio and highlight the shared immorality in his companions Conrade and Borachio as well as present themes of slander, noting, jealousy, honour, illusion and reality. Since the major complication of the play arises from Claudio's denunciation of Hero on the basis of Don John's trickery, and in fact therefore ‘nothing' at all, the use of such a villain as a dramatic device is crucial. Whilst only a brief episode in the play; the significance of the latter part of this scene is paramount to future events. The timing of the episode is most significant as Shakespeare distinguishes misunderstanding and misreport from deliberate and malicious deceit. We prepare ourselves for a potentially tragic consequence yet with the benefit of dramatic irony, remain optimistic that as the title suggests, this will again prove to be ‘much ado about nothing'.

A Rose For Emily- Rhetorical Analysis. William Faulkner

A Rose for Emily- Rhetorical Analysis William Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. He wrote short stories, plays, essays, and screenplays. He is mainly known for his creative imaginary stories that were based on Lafayette County, Mississippi where he spent most of his life. Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers in American literature and especially Southern literature. He spent majority of his childhood years sitting around listening to his elders and family members telling stories that included war stories of the Civil war and slavery. â€Å"A Rose for Emily was his first story that was published in a major magazine called the Forum.† When the short story was first published, it didn’t do that well in the†¦show more content†¦In her mind she is wanting to find someone who she could spend the rest of her life with but Homer is just wanting a fling and not a commitment. This is something that the citizens of Jefferson will worry about, as they feel that they must look a fter Emily since her father passing. The townspeople are like her parents and feel like it is in their best interest to look after her. This could make the reader show sympathy for Emily, rather than disliking her. The writer also conveyed logos through the story. Faulkner used logos when he reveals Emily’s logic which is twisted in many ways. Emily’s worries that Homer would forsake her and this lead to a development of killing him. This was a reasonable progression. She figured that if she killed him she could keep his body and have him forever and being dead he would be there. Faulkner used a setting and time to show Emily had a hard time accepting change and moving on with her life. They story took place right after the Civil War. Most African Americans were loathed and discriminated but Emily was relived from her father. Money showed a social statement back then and Emily’s father had money. Since her father loaned the town money she had become a well appreciated woman even after his passing. In stated in the story, â€Å"she had chosen not to come out of the house and when the townspeople had saw her they seen a different Emily.† As stated in the bookShow MoreRelatedGoing Beyond The Meaning in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner1031 Words   |  5 Pagesand justice. If the flag is flown half-staff it represents respect, mourning, or distress. In the story, A Rose for Emily, an elderly woman named Emily was controlled and kept away from finding love by her father her whole life. Since she was a Grierson, the townspeople never saw her as a human being. Although, she was just a person, the people saw her and her family as a tableau. Emily was known to be a stubborn woman in life. Once her father died, she didn’t believe her father was dead untilRead MoreA Rose for Emily by William Faulkner712 Words   |  3 Pagesunity. Symbolism in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is use in a variety of ways for example Miss Emily she represent the monument and mental illness, mental illness because she killed her own husband.Another character that had symbolism is Homer Barron he represents more than just a simple character, he represents insensitivity because he dint care about another people. An explanation of characters and objects that we have seen in the short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† The character Emily herself is a symbol ofRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesReasons ................................................................................................ 236 Deceiving with Loaded Language ................................................................................................... 238 Using Rhetorical Devices .................................................................................................................. 240 Review of Major Points .............................................................................................