Every day 18-22 people die waiting for an organ, and “there are now more than 105,000 people on the waiting list for solid organ transplants (womenshealth)”. The organ crisis only continues to grow as the population increases. In fact, a new name is added to the waiting list about every 10 minutes (facts). The use of 3D organ cloning is an ethical alternate to full body cloning to aid in the organ shortage crisis in this country.
Cloning
Cloning involves taking DNA from a cell, and implanting it into another cell to be reproduced. This technique can be used to create a human embryo, and ultimately a human being, however it is highly debated and considered unethical. With the cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996, the idea of cloning for spare parts has circulated. Some have theorized that cloning yourself to remove organs to be used for transplant is justifiable. There is, however, a very gray area about the ethics of cloning and what “rights” a clone would have. Research has recently produced stem cells from an elderly man, “However, the breakthrough is likely to reignite the debate about the ethics of creating human embryos for medical purposes and the possible use of the same technique to produce cloned babies… (Knapton).” This new research should be closely monitored because with the ability to create stem cells from anyone, this technology “…could also be used for human reproductive cloning, although this would be unsafe and grossly unethical (Knapton).” 3D organ printing is a much more ethical alternative to human cloning, because only organs and tissues would be created for transplant, and the recipient would consent to their cells being used for the process. If a human clone were to be produced for organ and tissue transplants, would that “person” consent- or even have the right to refuse? What is 3D organ printing? 3D printing was invented in the 1980’s by Charles Hull and was named Stereo lithography (Ventola). 3D printing has been used for medical purposes since the 2000s. Stereo lithography uses a laser beam to create a “scaffold” or template of the organ or tissue that they wish to produce, scientists then bathe this framework with cells and wait for them to grow (Morber). Medical applications that have been currently in use with 3D printing include “bones, ears, exoskeletons, windpipes, a jaw bone, eyeglasses, cell cultures, stem cells, blood vessels, vascular networks, tissues and organs… (Ventola)” Why is 3D organ printing better than transplantation? With over 100,000 people waiting on organs every year, and only about 8,200 becoming actual donors (facts)- the shear odds are against ever receiving an organ. Once a patient does receive a transplant, they face the risk of rejection. The human body recognizes a transplanted organ as foreign and will initiate an immune response against it. This can cause the organ, or patient, to die, and the patient to need another transplant. For this reason transplant patients will take a lifelong course of immune suppressive drugs. Taking these medications can cause an increased risk of infection. Also, the surgery lasts long hours, is extremely expensive and requires a lengthy hospital stay. With organ cloning, the organ can be made on demand, this should cause no ethical dilemma because only a single organ is being produced, not viable embryos or human clones. …show more content…
No more waiting on a transplant list for months and no guilt from receiving an organ. Recipients’ often feel guilty when they receive an organ because they know someone else has lost their life. “I live with a complex ball of guilt and grief, I benefited from someone else’s pain (Morber)” Another exciting element of 3D printing is that with using a person’s own cells there will be no risk of rejection and no need to take immune suppressive drugs. The organ will match the patient 100% because it is with that patients own cells. Could it be possible to advance this technology even further? Could organ cloning and replacement become common place? Imagine if faulty organs could be swapped out like car parts. If bio printing becomes successful, not only will those waiting for organ transplants benefit. The economy would benefit as well. Organs could be replaced before people get seriously ill. Could patients in congestive heart failure
Cloning
Cloning involves taking DNA from a cell, and implanting it into another cell to be reproduced. This technique can be used to create a human embryo, and ultimately a human being, however it is highly debated and considered unethical. With the cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996, the idea of cloning for spare parts has circulated. Some have theorized that cloning yourself to remove organs to be used for transplant is justifiable. There is, however, a very gray area about the ethics of cloning and what “rights” a clone would have. Research has recently produced stem cells from an elderly man, “However, the breakthrough is likely to reignite the debate about the ethics of creating human embryos for medical purposes and the possible use of the same technique to produce cloned babies… (Knapton).” This new research should be closely monitored because with the ability to create stem cells from anyone, this technology “…could also be used for human reproductive cloning, although this would be unsafe and grossly unethical (Knapton).” 3D organ printing is a much more ethical alternative to human cloning, because only organs and tissues would be created for transplant, and the recipient would consent to their cells being used for the process. If a human clone were to be produced for organ and tissue transplants, would that “person” consent- or even have the right to refuse? What is 3D organ printing? 3D printing was invented in the 1980’s by Charles Hull and was named Stereo lithography (Ventola). 3D printing has been used for medical purposes since the 2000s. Stereo lithography uses a laser beam to create a “scaffold” or template of the organ or tissue that they wish to produce, scientists then bathe this framework with cells and wait for them to grow (Morber). Medical applications that have been currently in use with 3D printing include “bones, ears, exoskeletons, windpipes, a jaw bone, eyeglasses, cell cultures, stem cells, blood vessels, vascular networks, tissues and organs… (Ventola)” Why is 3D organ printing better than transplantation? With over 100,000 people waiting on organs every year, and only about 8,200 becoming actual donors (facts)- the shear odds are against ever receiving an organ. Once a patient does receive a transplant, they face the risk of rejection. The human body recognizes a transplanted organ as foreign and will initiate an immune response against it. This can cause the organ, or patient, to die, and the patient to need another transplant. For this reason transplant patients will take a lifelong course of immune suppressive drugs. Taking these medications can cause an increased risk of infection. Also, the surgery lasts long hours, is extremely expensive and requires a lengthy hospital stay. With organ cloning, the organ can be made on demand, this should cause no ethical dilemma because only a single organ is being produced, not viable embryos or human clones. …show more content…
No more waiting on a transplant list for months and no guilt from receiving an organ. Recipients’ often feel guilty when they receive an organ because they know someone else has lost their life. “I live with a complex ball of guilt and grief, I benefited from someone else’s pain (Morber)” Another exciting element of 3D printing is that with using a person’s own cells there will be no risk of rejection and no need to take immune suppressive drugs. The organ will match the patient 100% because it is with that patients own cells. Could it be possible to advance this technology even further? Could organ cloning and replacement become common place? Imagine if faulty organs could be swapped out like car parts. If bio printing becomes successful, not only will those waiting for organ transplants benefit. The economy would benefit as well. Organs could be replaced before people get seriously ill. Could patients in congestive heart failure