Ihmiskloonauksia

Ihmiskloonauksia refer to the practice of producing a genetically identical copy of a human organism. The concept is rooted in the broader field of biological cloning, which includes techniques such as nuclear transfer, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based cloning. SCNT, the method most frequently used in animal cloning, involves transferring the nucleus of a somatic cell into an enucleated egg cell, then stimulating the resulting embryo to develop into a blastocyst. The iPSC technique reprograms adult cells to a pluripotent state, enabling the creation of embryonic cells that can differentiate into an entire organism, though its application to full human reproduction remains experimental.

The first successful human embryo cloned using SCNT was reported by a team led by Dr. Don Reeve in 1998; however, no viable human clone has been announced, and the embryo was terminated before development. In 2004, the "Samaritan's" documentary about the creation of a Dolly-like human embryo (though not public) highlighted the practical and ethical barriers to human cloning. Later, in 2018, researchers announced the generation of human embryonic stem cells from cloned embryos, but these remain in vitro.

Ethical concerns dominate the debate. Issues include potential for harm to cloned individuals, exploitation, identity and personality rights, and the risk of reinforcing eugenic ideologies. Legal frameworks vary worldwide: South Korea (2005) and the United Kingdom (2001) severely restrict human cloning, whereas the United States has a patchwork of state laws and no federal prohibition. International bodies such as the World Health Organization and the International Society for Stem Cell Research have issued guidelines discouraging therapeutic cloning that could lead to reproductive cloning. The field continues to evolve with advances in genome editing, notably CRISPR-Cas9, which raise additional ethical and safety questions.