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This chart explains the processes of therapeutic and reproductive cloning.

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These are many of the words that are commonly associated with cloning.

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This cartoon shows how cloning is portrayed through the media, which is inaccurate.

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futuristic
is not as scary as it seems
does it cross the line?

not reproductive
therapeutic gives stem cells
is not immoral

harvest embryos
for life preserving stem cells
helps humanity

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Telemarketer: Hi [name], I wanted to talk to you about cloning. In this day and age, a lot of people think it’s crazy and bad, but cloning is actually great!
Possible response: How is it good?
Telemarketer: Embryos produce stem cells, that are basically blank pages that can be made to make any organ or type of cell. With research, funding and time stem cells can theoretically be used to treat all sorts of diseases. Currently, cloning is being underfunded.
Possible response: Why is it being underfunded?
Telemarketer: The government does't recognize the benefits that can come from stem cell research, so they choose to allocate funds elsewhere.
Possible response: Interesting
Telemarketer: Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could help out in some way? Making a small donation [amount] would help out the scientists hard at work in funding their research. As you know, stem cell research isn’t currently being well funded, and your donation could fix that.
Possible response: That's something I'd love to do, I'll be sure to donate.
Telemarketer: Thank you for your time!

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Cloning is usually portrayed as some sort of fantastical science in the media, where evil versions of yourself roam about and do bad things. While it may not play out like the movies, cloning is a very morally questionable subject, and it begs the question; to what extent is it morally acceptable? Therapeutic cloning should be considered morally acceptable because we are obligated to pursue advancements that can save so many people. Not only that, embryos aren’t the same as humans and are worth sacrificing in order to help suffering humans. Furthermore, there are many misconceptions surrounding therapeutic and reproductive cloning, where they are often confused with each other. Reproductive cloning is when humans are grown from cloned embryos into new people, while therapeutic cloning produces cloned embryos, which are harvested for stem cells.

Therapeutic cloning furthers society’s advancements in the medical field and allows for better treatments, and we are obligated to research it for the greater good. The Christian Science Monitor explained that stem cells are like “blank pages of a book which can be written upon, capable of becoming any kind of body tissue. They could be used to reproduce defective organs, for example.” This is in regards to the purpose and theoretically use of therapeutic cloning. Eileen Arnold, from University Wire, also says that, “stem cells present the greatest opportunity for medical advancement right now, so it is the medical researcher's duty to explore them.” Therapeutic cloning has the potential to cure diseases that have been affecting people for ages. It has much room to grow, and with proper funding, it can make even more scientific breakthroughs. While people argue that it is immoral, it is just the opposite. Something that could save so many lives is not only a step in the right direction, but one could also argue that our society is morally obligated to support something with such great potential.

Therapeutic cloning’s use of embryos isn’t immoral because embryos aren’t humans, and don’t have more rights than a human. The Christian Science Monitor outlines how there is a debate over the status of embryos: “The crucial question is when life begins and whether a human life is being taken in the process of harvesting the stem cells. Many Christian groups, including the Roman Catholic church, argue that is the case. But others - including most scientists - say the embryo at that point represents just one of the stages of the beginnings of life, and is not an individual human being.” Similarly, Charis Thompston questions the moral boundaries surrounding embryos . “Is it ethical to refuse to seek cures or is this equivalent to denying treatment to vast numbers of suffering individuals? On the other hand, should embryos be accorded a moral status that would prohibit their destruction even for the sake of searching for cures?” While religion and other factors have a strong effect on how people may personally view embryos, scientifically it is agreed that an embryo is not a full human being. It has the potential to grow into a human but it isn’t a human.  While embryos are still alive, they don’t have the same rights as humans. Not only that, but so many human lives can be saved through stem cell research, using embryos is indeed moral if it is for this purpose. Despite the fact that it could benefit so many, some still oppose it because it doesn’t benefit embryos.

Generally, reproductive cloning is acknowledged to be morally unsound, therapeutic cloning is morally acceptable as long as the legislation is thoughtful and prevents any abuse of the research. There is massive stigma surrounding cloning due to a lack of information about the subject, leading to many stances on the subject. While some people may believe that embryos have the same rights as humans, considering the vast treatments that can be gained from stem cells, it is worth it to help suffering humans. Not only that, but scientists are obligated to research something so promising to mankind. To the extent that it helps humans, therapeutic cloning is morally acceptable.

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Many argue that cloning is immoral because it harvests stem cells from human embryos and creates new humans.  Though, only the embryos of consenting people are used, furthermore as shown by other countries, embryos can be recycled in a way that it couldn’t be considered destroying embryos if they were going to be discarded anyways.While summarizing Obama’s executive order on stem cell research, Aroon Khakar states, “Stem cells could be obtained only from donors who willingly contribute them, or who sign over stem cells from in vitro fertilization that will no longer to be used for reproduction, and would be disposed of otherwise.” Khakar further elaborates how the executive order treats reproductive cloning:“These stem cells were ineligible for use because they still had the potential to be used for reproduction, crossing a perceived ethical line for research. The guidelines affecting policy and procedure were not permanent; they were to be checked often and could be edited at any time by the secretary and NIH if necessary.” Not only are the embryos used for stem cell research from consenting individuals, they are also coming from sources that would otherwise dispose of them. This way it combats the moral “wrongness” of using embryos for stem cell research, they are coming from consenting persons and aren’t wasteful. Stem cell research reaps many benefits, which would outweigh any of the costs. Many diseases that affect the organs and different parts of the body could be virtually cured through stem cell research. Not only that but there is a strong boundary made in the executive order with the purpose of preventing reproductive cloning from being possible. People that are unaware of the highly restrictive legislation that goes into stem cell research would find it to be immoral, but these legislations prevent the research from being abused.

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Arnold, Eileen. "Cloning Embryos: Scientific Milestone Or Moral Offense?" University Wire, 2015. SIRS Issues Researcher
Khokhar, Aroob. “The Embryo Project Encyclopedia.” Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination in Reptiles | The Embryo Project Encyclopedia, Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences. Center for Biology and Society. Embryo Project Encyclopedia., 17 June 2010
The cloning clash; Does the world need cloning research? UN members tackle a topic that leaves many uneasy." Christian Science Monitor, 6 Nov. 2003, p. 12. Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Thompson, Charis. "Stem Cell Research." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society