In Dune, Duncan Idaho is relentlessly cloned because his individual characteristics are seen to be irreplaceable.  Human cloning is something that may be possible in the near future, and it could theoretically solve the agony of losing a loved one.  But are we really prepared to face the full consequences of cloning?

Cloning began simply enough as a way to propagate plants; growing a plant from a small cutting is a type of cloning.  More complex cloning requires transplanting genetic information “into an unfertilized egg cell whose genetic information has been destroyed or physically removed.” (How cloning works) 

This is basically the same process as the Tleilaxu use in fantasy to create their “ghola” clones.  And, like the re-production of Duncan Idaho, the main reason behind cloning everything from plants to animals is to perfectly recreate desired qualities.  This would be nearly impossible through sexual reproduction which in effect “reshuffles the genetic deck of cards.” (How cloning works)

And of course, just as there are many complex issues of memory, disease and emotion with the Duncan Idaho clones, there are an equal amount of potential problems with cloning today.  “While factors such as intellect and mood may not be as important for a cow or a mouse, they are crucial for the development of healthy humans.” (Cloning fact sheet)

Some main benefits to human cloning technology include cloning your own body parts to aid in disease and using cloning technology to aid in infertility. (How human cloning will work) Yet because of the imperfection behind cloning technology (only 1 or 2 out of every 100 cloned animals survive) many scientists and physicians see the cloning of humans in the near future to be extremely unethical. (Cloning fact sheet)