In our series “Forbidden” we’re exploring people; places, and things about the world and the lives we have that are otherwise off limits to we humans and our fellow human species. While for hundreds of years we’ve thought things like those you’ll find in this series to be fiction, some, are very much real they’re just kept away from everyday humans at all costs.
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Cloning, what is it?
Cloning is exactly what one thinks it is and with it comes almost every legitimate question and concern one could possibly imagine. According to historical records, human cloning of (varying) types has actually been possible for about 7 years. The problem with cloning is that as of 2020 it is believed that more than 70 countries have outright restricted or totally banned the practice.
For more reasons than one. While the idea leaves some wondering how is such a thing possible — it leaves others wondering what exactly we may not know about ourselves despite what we’re told. The crazy thing here is is babies; embryos, and even a legendary sheep have all been cloned.
Let’s begin.
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In what we’ll call “scientific medicine” here because that’s what it is — there are technically two kinds of human cloning. Research shows that those two processes are called therapuetic cloning and outright reproductive cloning. Obviously, one could guess that the latter is the one that results in a clone of oneself.
The process has been around for a while — first having appeared about 30 years ago; again 20 years ago, then came Dolly the Sheep, and then came the embryo/babies in China (the doctor is now in jail btw), and so on. Despite what many believe — the process is very much alive but is hotly forbidden to regular humans.
Most medical professionals and scientists have long argued that the process remain forbidden simply because many don’t actually know whether or not many would survive if they undertake the process. While there have been quite a few instances or confirmed reports of cloning, there isn’t much readily available information on whether or not it is actually safe.
Reproductive cloning is a pretty scary topic considering it would result in an exact clone of say Christina Aguilera. Imagine the process suddenly being available to the everyday person and suddenly we’re overtaken by clones of our friends and loved ones unable to tell real from artificial clone.
While that doesn’t sound too far insane given the technological advances we’ve seen in the past decade or too — some people have long argued that medical concerns or not the process should never be made public. Ethical experts have additionally argued that the process could lead to cloning a person particularly for the purpose of a superior species.
Cue almost any reference to the Matrix here guys.
You can read more about the alarming but rather intriguing process in Business Insider.
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