Cloning Ban Split could Result in First UN Convention Necessitating Killing Innocents

UNITED NATIONS, September 23, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The United Nations is gearing up to tackle a ban on human cloning.  Campaign Life has been working with a number of other groups to educate delegates on the cloning issue, which is slated to be discussed by the United Nations’ Sixth Committee from Sept. 29 – Oct. 10.  This session of meetings is critical as it will set the parameters of the proposed UN ban.  Two proposals are on the table. The Franco-German initiative seeks to address a ban only on reproductive cloning. The Costa Rican initiative, which is also being co-sponsored by the Philippines and the United States, proposes a comprehensive ban on cloning. To date, the Costa Rican resolution is being firmly backed by 43 co-sponsors.  The Canadian delegation has typically come out in favour of a partial (read: only reproductive) ban on human cloning despite the fact that the debate on cloning continues to rage at home.  A partial ban would allow human cloning when the human clones created will be used for research and killed before birth.  As Jeanne Head of National Right to Life aptly stated, “The stakes of this conference are very high. Should the Franco-German proposal win, this would be the first UN convention in history that would necessitate the killing of an innocent human life.”  The Pro-life, Pro-family Coalition at the UN, of which Campaign Life is a founding member, has been working very hard to help host information sessions and to make appointments with various missions to sit with delegates to explain the science and ethics involved in the cloning debate.