Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of an existing or previously existing human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning; human clones
in the form of identical twins are common, with their cloning occurring during reproduction. There are two types of human cloning, which are therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning
involves cloning cells from an adult for use in medicine and is an active area of research, while reproductive cloning would involve making cloned human beings. Such reproductive cloning has not been performed
and is illegal in many countries. A third type of cloning called replacement cloning is a possibility, and would be a combination of therapeutic and reproductive cloning. Replacement cloning would entail
the replacement of an extensively damaged, failed, or failing body through cloning followed by whole or partial brain transplant.The various forms of human cloning are complex. There have been numerous
demands for all progress in the human cloning field to be halted. Some people and groups oppose therapeutic cloning, but most scientific, governmental and religious organizations oppose reproductive cloning.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science and other scientific organizations have made public statements suggesting that human reproductive cloning be banned until safety issues are resolved.
Serious concerns have been raised by the idea that it might be possible in the future to harvest organs from clones. Some people have considered the idea of growing organs separately from a human organism
- in doing this, a new organ supply could be made without the implications of harvesting them from humans. Research is also being done on the idea of growing organs that are biologically acceptable to
the human body inside of other organisms, such as pigs or cows, then transplanting them to humans, a form of a process called "xenotransplantation".The first human hybrid human clone was created in November
1998, by American Cell Technologies. It was created from a man's leg cell, and a cow's egg whose DNA was removed. It was destroyed after 12 days. Since a normal embryo implants at 14 days, Dr Robert Lanza,
ACT's director of tissue engineering, told the Daily Mail newspaper that the embryo could not be seen as a person before 14 days. While making an embryo, which may have resulted in complete human had it
been allowed to come to term, according to ACT: their aim was 'therapeutic cloning' not 'reproductive cloning
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