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U.N. To Resume Debate on Human Cloning After One-Year Hiatus
-Nations Remain Divided Over Proposals
(Kaisernetwork) The United Nations on Thursday is scheduled to resume debate on a human cloning ban on Thursday after a yearlong hiatus, although U.N. nations remain divided over proposals that ban only reproductive human cloning and those that extend the ban to research cloning, the Washington Times reports. Sixty-one countries, including the United States, believe that all scientific research using cells extracted from cloned embryos should be banned immediately and support a proposal sponsored by Costa Rica to ban both reproductive and research cloning. However, 24 other nations -- including Singapore and South Korea -- say that cloning for research purposes, if regulated properly, has the potential for advancing health and science, according to the Times. Those nations are supporting a proposal by Belgium that would ban reproductive cloning but allow research cloning (Pisik, Washington Times, 10/20). The Belgian proposal would leave the question of cloning for research purposes up to the discretion of individual countries. The Royal Society, Britain's national academy of science, is urging countries to reject the U.S.-backed proposal to ban all forms of human cloning at the General Assembly 59th Session. The U.N. General Assembly in December 2003 agreed to delay until its 59th session a discussion about a treaty that would recommend banning human cloning (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 10/19). The debate is expected to last for two days, and on Thursday, legal experts are expected to discuss the language that will lay the groundwork for a global convention, according to the Times. The issue -- unlikely to be decided until mid-November, if they come to a decision at all -- might reinforce the "confusion and fear generated by the interplay of faith, science and money," the Times reports (Washington Times, 10/20).
South Korea Supports Continued Delay
South Korea on Monday asked the United States to accept another yearlong delay in the drafting of a treaty that bans human cloning to allow for a U.N. conference in February to discuss the pros and cons of human embryonic stem cell research, Reuters reports (Arieff, Reuters, 10/19). Proponents of embryonic stem cell research say it could lead to treatments or cures for diseases such as cancer, type 1 diabetes and Alzheimer's, but some opponents say the research is immoral because it requires the destruction of human embryos (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 10/18). Six of eight countries -- four of which advocate research cloning, four of which oppose it -- reacted "favorably" to the South Korean proposal, but Costa Rica opposed the plan, and the U.S. official has not yet responded, according to Reuters (Reuters, 10/19). Moroccan Ambassador to the United Nations Mohamed Bennouna, who chairs the U.N. General Assembly's treaty-writing legal committee, has said he would attempt to avoid a vote this year. Bennouna said he fears that a vote this year could be "polarizing" and delay a solution on the issue of human cloning. "This has become such an emotional issue that I hope to avoid a vote this year," he said. The legal committee of the General Assembly in November 2003 voted 80-79 with 15 abstentions to approve a motion proposed by Iran on behalf of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference to delay for two years U.N. consideration of any treaty on human cloning, effectively blocking consideration of dueling cloning proposals from Costa Rica and Belgium (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 10/19).
U.S. Elections
It is a "coincidence" that the "emotional issue" of embryonic stem cell research will be debated at the U.N. two weeks before the U.S. presidential election, according to a spokesperson at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the Times reports. However, many people believe that undeclared nations are waiting until after Election Day to publicize their positions for fear of offending the election winner, according to the Times (Washington Times, 10/20). The debate over stem cell research has become a major issue in the U.S. presidential election. President Bush on Aug. 9, 2001, announced a policy limiting federally funded embryonic stem cell research to cell lines created on or before that date. Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (Mass.) has said he would lift restrictions Bush has placed on embryonic stem cell research (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 10/18).
(c) 2004 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation
Source: Kaisernetwork
Publish Date: October 20th, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/041020/6
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