Bush Administration Proposes Total Ban on Human Cloning

By Dave Andrusko

Although it was early in discussions that could go on for perhaps years, the United States immediately made clear it desires a "global and comprehensive ban" on human cloning and all experimentation involving human embryos. The Bush Administration 's unequivocal opposition to all human cloning was conveyed in remarks delivered by Carolyn Willson, the U.S. delegate to the United Nation's Committee on an International Convention Against the Reproductive Cloning of Human Beings.

In a February 26 speech, Willson politely thanked the French and German governments "for taking the initiative on human cloning," and then proceeded to carefully explain why the ban needed to be expanded to include so-called "therapeutic cloning." (See excerpts, page 19.)

Most governments to date adamantly oppose what is described as " reproductive cloning" - - which Willson accurately described as " prohibiting the transfer of a cloned embryo into a woman to begin a pregnancy." But Willson labeled this limited approach " unsound," listing a number of philosophical and pragmatic objections.

A ban "that prohibited only 'reproductive' cloning, but left ' therapeutic' or 'experimental' cloning unaddressed, would essentially authorize the creation and destruction of human embryos explicitly and solely for research and experimentation," Willson said. "It would turn nascent human life into a natural resource to be mined and exploited, eroding the sense of the worth and dignity of the individual. This prospect is repugnant to many people, including those who do not believe that the embryo is a person."

Willson also told the committee that a ban which, on the one hand, allows the creation of embryonic clones, but, on the other hand, forbids their implantation "legally requires the destruction of nascent human life and criminalizes efforts to preserve and protect it once created, a morally abhorrent prospect."

Archbishop Renato Martino of the Holy See said the distinction between reproductive and therapeutic cloning is "devoid of any ethical and legal grounds," adding, "Human cloning should be prohibited in all cases regardless of the aims that are pursued."

The immediate impetus for the formation of the committee and the week-long meeting that took place in late February was the announcement last year by Italian fertility expert Severino Antinori that he intended to clone a human being. At the request of France and Germany last September, the UN established the special panel.

A second week of negotiations will begin in September. According to Reuters. All 189 UN-member nations are free to participate in the special committee's deliberations.

The opposition expressed to "reproductive cloning" by a number of experts in medicine, law, and ethics was both articulate and apocalyptic. Yet many governments supported "therapeutic" cloning, echoing the sentiments of Yoshiyuki Motomura, Japan's representative, who said, "It would be a mistake to close the door to future scientific and technological progress that could save human lives."

However, in her remarks, Willson pointed out that to date, "there is no animal research to support the claim that cloned embryonic stem cells are therapeutically efficacious." Indeed, there are non-objectionable alternative ways that are more promising in the search for new treatment therapies.

"A legal ban on 'therapeutic' cloning would allow time for the investigation of promising and less problematic research alternatives such as adult stem cell research," Willson said. "It would also allow time for policy makers and the public to develop more informed judgments about cloning, and for the establishment of regulatory structures to oversee applications of cloning technology that society deems acceptable."