U.N. CLONING BAN BLOCKED
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Autor: Steve Jordahl
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Fuente: Family News In Focus
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The
United
Nations
has
dropped
its
efforts
to
forbid
all
human
cloning.
A
resolution
to
ban
all
forms
of
human
cloning,
even
for
stem-cell
research,
has
been
put
on
hold
at
the
United
Nations.
The
measure
had
the
support
of
more
than
60
countries,
but
was
blocked
by
a
procedural
motion.
Costa
Rican
Ambassador
Bruno
Stagno
Ugarte
said
he
believes
he
had
the
votes
to
pass
the
total
cloning
ban,
but
a
group
of
European
countries
that
would
profit
from
cloning
research
put
up
a
fight.
"The
so-called
Belgian
Group,"
Ugarte
explained,
"circulated
a
letter
whereby
they
indicated
that
they
were
willing
to
stall
the
entire
process
by
deferring
the
consideration
of
this
item
for
a
full
year."
In
its
stead,
pro-life
countries
are
backing
a
somewhat
weaker
declaration
that
could
be
used
as
a
stepping
stone
to
bring
back
the
total
ban.
It
could
be
ratified
as
early
as
spring.
"This
Italian
proposal
is
calling
for
a
United
Nations
Declaration
on
Human
Cloning,"
Ugarte
said.
"It's
a
very
succinct
declaration,
but
it
has
some
very
clear
language."
The
U.S.
State
Department,
which
is
hoping
to
head
off
alternate
proposals
that
would
allow
embryonic
stem-cell
research,
said
it
welcomes
the
opportunity
for
continued
dialogue.
"The
creation
of
the
working
group
could
actually
provide
further
opportunity
for
the
United
States
to
press
the
position
that
all
human
cloning
is
wrong
and
should
be
banned,"
said
Edgar
Vasquez,
a
State
Department
spokesman.
Jeanne
Head
of
International
Right
to
Life
said
if
countries
allow
embryonic
stem-cell
research,
it
would
have
disastrous
consequences:
patented
embryos,
embryo
farms
and
the
exploitation
of
women
through
the
harvesting
of
their
eggs.
Head
added
that
if
the
U.N.
allows
therapeutic
cloning,
it
would,
in
effect,
be
passing
a
treaty
that
required
the
killing
of
another
human
being,
something
the
group
hasn't
even
done
for
abortion.
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