UN Moves One Step Closer to a Total Ban on Cloning

An historical resolution was approved by the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. The 191-nation assembly has sought a total ban on all forms of human cloning by a vote of 84-34, with 37 abstentions.

The resolution was suggested by the US President George Bush in September 2004, which urges UN member states to adopt legislation "to prohibit all forms of human cloning in as much as they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human life."

The US pro-life stance is generally backed by African, Arab, Latin American countries or predominantly Roman Catholic countries, in line with Pope John Paul's condemnation of human cloning. In contrast, many European and Asian countries where stem-cell research is being pursued, have voted against the resolution.

In fact, the UN has struggled in the debate on a total ban of human cloning for 4 years since it was proposed by France and Germany in 2001. However, nations are unable to reach a consensus and therefore the decision was been postponed a number of times. This time, the US applauded the resolution and have considered the latest considerations a victory.

President Bush said, "The United States and the international community have spoken clearly that human cloning is an affront to human dignity and that we must work together to protect human life."

However, behind the resolution passed yesterday there was still controversy over therapeutic cloning. In terms of the language used, it would need to be more specific as to what this exactly meant.

Therapeutic cloning is the cloning of an embryo with desired genetics. Stem cells will then be yielded from the embryo for medical research to help find a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer. The embryos are later destroyed. The US has attempted to include it in the ban, but it failed under pressure from many countries.

Many scientists, backed by governments including Belgium, Britain, Singapore and China, say the technique offers hope for a cure to some 100 million people. On the other hand, the United States, Costa Rica, Italy and anti-abortion groups argue that this type of research, for whatever purpose, constitutes the taking of human lives.

Britain, South Korea, and the Netherlands promised to push ahead with therapeutic cloning even after the voting yesterday. "The declaration voted on today is a weak, non-binding political statement that does not reflect anything approaching consensus within the General Assembly nor will it affect the United Kingdom's strong support of stem cell research," Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said.

Jones Parry reminded that the British government had announced that it would give approximately $2 billion in funding over the next three years for stem cell and other research. In early February, the UK granted a cloning license to British scientist who created the first cloned creature in the world - Dolly the Sheep. Dr Ian Wilmut will carry out major medical research to unravel the mysteries of muscle-wasting illnesses - with therapeutic cloning involved in the research.

With all kinds of opinions brewing among the two sides of the debate, the resolution yesterday is not likely to be an absolute victory, but it is a truly promising step towards a total global ban of all forms of cloning.