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Therapeutic cloning is a procedure whose initial stages are identical to reproductive cloning. However, the stem cells are removed from the egg (which is termed a blastocyst) after it has divided for five days. The embryo dies during this extraction process; this result has instigated many ethical arguments as to whether the killing of the embryo is humane. This technique is carried out with the intent of producing tissue or a whole organ for transplant back into the person who supplied the DNA (2). Stem cells are very important to researchers because they can be used to generate almost any type of cell in the human body.

One of the goals of therapeutic cloning is to
produce a healthy copy of a sick person's tissue or
organ for transplant. This technique would be
greatly superior to relying on organ transplants
from other people. The supply would be unlimited,
so there would be no waiting lists. The tissue or
organ would have the sick person's original DNA,
which means that the patient would not have to
take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their
life, as is now required after transplants. There would
also be little danger of organ rejection (19).

Theoretically, these stem cells can be used to develop into replacement organs (heart, liver, pancreas, skin,
etc). The stem cells would be removed from the pre-                        (2)
embryo and encouraged to grow in whatever organ or tissue is needed to treat the patient. These unique forms of human cells would ultimately develop into a multitude of organs or body parts (5).

A more detailed representation of this process is shown below:

(1)