Cloning- Is it for you?
Introduction
Congress is debating the pros and cons of genetic cloning. You have been given a grant from the Eisenhower Foundation to explore if genetic cloning is ethical or not. In 2001, President George W. Bush allowed stem cells on a limited bases for medical research for the betterment of human life. This was supported by 70-80% of the American population. There are those that don’t support cloning such as the conservative group like pro-life organizations. They file like humans should not be given the role of playing God. Cloning started in 1997 in Scotland by scientist at the Roslin Institute with a lamb named Dolly.
Performance Task
Your
task will be to analyze the cloning of humans for medical purposes, and draw
your conclusion to the following questions.
Should cloning be permitted and is it
ethical?
Remember
there is no right or wrong answer. The cloning issue is very complex. Your
assessment will be based on how well you support your conclusion, communicate
effectively, and collaborate with your peers. Your final activity will be given
to the class in a finished product such as a slide show, poster, or
presentation etc.
The Process
You
will be working in small groups of four to five students. As an individual member
of your group, you will be called on to explore several web pages. You will be
the expert, and your group will be counting on you to provide a clear
explanation of your portion of the information. As a group, your job will be
to:
1.
Investigate
the cloning of Dolly the lamb.
2.
Research
cloning up to the present time.
3.
Define
and analyze the current problem from the different scientific and ethical
perspectives.
4.
Report
your findings to the class.
The cloning is a real issue today. Your opinion is important and will give your adult leaders an insight to what young people are thinking about this major issue.
Step
1 – Investigate
Dolly experiment that took place in Scotland in 1997
Assign
each group member one of the Web pages below. After exploring the Web pages
individually, get back together in your groups and answer the questions below.
1.
Is
Dolly still alive? 
2.
Identify
two ways that Dolly’s experiment has helped the medical field.
3.
What
other animals have been cloned since Dolly?
4.
Have
any humans been cloned or are they going to be cloned?
5.
Did
you know that identical twins were a type of cloning?
6.
Can
clones be made by nuclear transfer technology?
Step
2-Background
information on cloning
Concentrate
on not reaching any conclusions about the cloning program. Just the facts.
1.
Where
did cloning develop?
2.
Why
did cloning develop?
3.
What
as the purpose can cloning be used for?
4.
Where
does the funding for the cloning programs at the present time?
5.
Give
examples of people or groups that oppose cloning and why?
6.
Create
one additional question for each article and answer it without a yes/no reply.
Step
3- Take a
position either way
Can
cloning benefit the human race? Does the government or any other group have the
prerogative to utilize cloning for medical purposes without any kind of
restrictions? Should the government stand in the way of scientific progress? If
cloning were authorized in our society, what would be the impact of this in the
21st century?
Resources
http://genetics.about.com/cs/geneticscloning/ Dolly
http://marcopolo.worldcom.com/ Marcopolo Website
http://refdesk.com The single best source for facts on the Net
http://www.search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=124355&sctn=1#s_top Britannica
Evaluation
|
Conclusions
Cloning is a real issue in today’s society. The issue involved is a meaningful and serious matter that will have an effect on you in the near future. Now you must decide how cloning is to be used for the betterment of mankind.
