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U.N. to Consider Cloning Ban
(FNIF) Debate begins Thursday on whether to completely prohibit cloning or to allow it for scientific purposes.
The United Nations is about to decide whether to ban human cloning worldwide, with a crucial vote possible this week.
The U.N. is basically divided three ways on the issue as it prepares to begin debate on Thursday: 61 countries have joined Costa Rica in support of a true, total ban on human cloning. More than 60 are undecided. And at least 50 countries are calling for a limited ban.
Last year, the U.N. voted to delay making a decision on human cloning for two years, but the United States and its allies were able to cut the moratorium in half. While a total ban is just that, those who favor a prohibition that allows for 'therapeutic cloning' want to clone embryos, and then kill them for experimentation.
Thomas Jacobson, manager of Focus on the Family's United Nations department, said such a limited ban would be no ban at all.
"Really, they don't want any cloned human beings walking around, and want to make an international law prohibiting that, but they want to allow the research," Jacobson said of the countries backing the limited ban.
A true global ban, he added, is the only acceptable option.
"Because of the fluidity of science and funds from international organizations or U.N. bodies or foundations, wherever it's going to come from, that can go into countries anywhere around the world for this experimentation," he said.
The upcoming vote will lay the groundwork for a convention that would write the ban. David Prentice, senior fellow for life sciences at the Family Research Council, said a ban would show that the world does not believe in creating human life to destroy it.
"There's a growing momentum globally to ban all uses of human cloning," he said. "In terms of human rights, in terms of human dignity this is just not an area where the human race needs to go. There are other better ways."
(c) 2004 Focus on the Family
By: Stuart Shepard
Source: Family News in Focus
Publish Date: October 18, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/041019/4
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