Politics
Thursday October 21, 2004
United Nations Commences Debate on Human Cloning Ban - U.S. Remains Firm
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
UNITED NATIONS, October 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The United Nations General Assembly legal committee launched official debates on a Costa Rican proposal to ban all forms of human cloning. A competing proposal put forward by Belgium would allow for euphemistically labeled "therapeutic" cloning which involves the creation of human clones who would be used for experimentation and killed, rather than allowed to be born.
Costa Rican representative Roberto Tovar introduced his country's comprehensive ban on human cloning noting that all human cloning was an affront to human dignity. He pointed out moreover that such research is totally unnecessary, especially given the vastly greater success with ethical non-embryonic stem cell research. The Costa Rican proposal is co-sponsored by over 50 countries.
Marc Pecsteen, the representative from Belgium, attempted to present his proposal as not actually in favour of "therapeutic" cloning, but only leaving the question open for individual countries to decide. The Belgian proposal to allow cloning is backed by some 20 countries and most strongly by Britain which has already approved and commenced creating human beings through cloning for research purposes.
A third looming possibility in the debate is to have another vote to delay the proceedings. Last year the committee voted to delay the vote on the drafts for two years.
Despite the massive lobby effort of moneyed interests, the Bush administration has firmly continued to support of the Costa Rican proposal.
"A partial ban that prohibits cloning for reproductive purpose but permits the destruction of cloned human embryos for experimental purposes is unacceptable," an American State Department official said. "Our position on cloning has not changed. We believe all cloning is wrong and should be banned."
The Costa Rican and Belgian Drafts are available here:
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/c.6/59/L.2
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/c.6/59/L.8
jhw
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- BREAKING: US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 to 215
- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening
- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Today
- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee
- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands
- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral
- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left
- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind
- Commentary on November 6 News
- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses
- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass
- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2
- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law
- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"
- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner
- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV
- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles
- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician
- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.