UN Committee Endorses Anti-Cloning Resolution
By Dave Andrusko

In a major triumph almost completely ignored by the major media, the United Nations' deadlock over cloning was broken February 18 when the UN's Legal Committee voted 71-35 with 43 abstentions to accept a declaration calling on all nations to enact laws prohibiting all forms of human cloning.

The UN Declaration on Human Cloning called on member states "to prohibit all forms of human cloning inasmuch as they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human life."

Supporters are hopeful the vote will provide momentum to proposals in the United States Congress to ban all forms of human cloning.

"We're obviously very pleased," Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, told the Associated Press. "This means that the United Nations is stating very clearly that member states should adopt legislation outlawing all cloning practices."

President Bush's strong position against cloning was made crystal clear in a speech he delivered to the UN last September.

"In this session, the UN will consider a resolution sponsored by Costa Rica calling for a comprehensive ban on human cloning," the President said. "I support that resolution, and I urge all governments to affirm a basic ethical principle: no human life should ever be produced and destroyed for the benefit of another."

Following the vote, Costa Rica's UN Ambassador Bruno Stagno told reporters, "We reaffirmed protection of human life as a principle on which you can make no compromises. ... When we speak about the protection of human life in this case, we are speaking about the most vulnerable, that is the embryo."

The Vatican, a UN observer, added its support for the outcome. "We congratulate the important majority which stated its unequivocal willingness to protect human life," said the Holy See's observer.

Jeanne E. Head, R.N., UN representative for National Right to Life, called the vote a great victory. "Costa Rica, Italy, and Honduras and Italy were all instrumental in helping move UN delegates to urge banning all forms of human cloning."

Head told NRL News that cloning and killing living human embryos to obtain their stem cells for experimentation "is both unethical and unnecessary." She noted that adult stem cells are the only stem cells that have proven successful in humans.

Taken from a person's own body or from umbilical cords or placentas, adult stem cells "have already helped thousands of patients and show great promise for people with serious neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, as well as patients with spinal cord injuries," Head said. Adult stem cells are showing particular promise of late in dealing with the damage associated with heart attacks.

Head also told NRL News, "The Declaration is an important and significant step toward recognizing the dignity of all members of our human family and protecting all human life," adding, "It sets an international standard and sends a clear signal to countries that encourage the clone and kill experimentation, such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Korea."

She concluded, "We look to the U.S. Congress now to put an end to the cloning and killing of human embryos."

Apprized of the vote, Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.), who has led the congressional effort to get a national ban on all cloning, said, "I am extremely encouraged that the international community has made such a strong statement today in support of protecting innocent human life and human dignity. Human cloning is the deliberate creation of a human life for utilitarian purposes. That life is created simply for research or for the benefit of another."

Bills that would ban all human cloning have been twice approved in the United States House and have the support of President Bush. To date the Senate has been the stumbling block.

The final Declaration, introduced by Honduras and supported by the United States, also calls on member states to introduce measures to "prevent exploitation of women." Researchers attempting to clone embryos require huge numbers of ova.

The procedure by which eggs are extracted from these vulnerable women is painful and dangerous to their lives and health. Delegates from developing countries fear that women from poor countries would be targeted to support these "egg farms."

The resolution now goes to the UN General Assembly for a final vote. If it is approved, the resolution will become a recommendation that applies to all 191 members.