ARTICLE: United Nations Delays Human Cloning Treaty

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

United Nations Delays Human Cloning Treaty
Decision Is a Setback to U.S. Effort to Ban Cloning Worldwide

By Edith M. Lederer
The Associated Press
Wednesday, November 5, 2003; 4:43 PM

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations voted narrowly Thursday to delay any 
treaty banning human cloning, a blow to a
U.S. campaign to outlaw all forms of the still-experimental practice.

By a margin of one vote, the General Assembly's legal committee postponed U.N. 
action until the assembly session that
starts in September 2005. Iran had asked for the delay on behalf of the 
57-nation Organization of the Islamic
Conference, saying the United Nations needed time to overcome deep divisions 
and reach agreement on a treaty that would
be universally accepted.

The 80-79 vote, with 15 abstentions, reflected major differences in the 
191-nation world body on how far a ban on
cloning should go.

Scientists have successfully cloned sheep and other animals. Researchers linked 
to the Raelians, a religious group,
claim to have produced human babies by cloning, but they have not offered proof.

At the United Nations there are two main camps: The United States and about 50 
other countries are pushing to ban all
forms of human cloning. Fourteen other countries--including Britain, Japan and 
China--are lobbying for a ban only on
production of babies. That would allow scientists to use "stem cells" gathered 
from human embryo clones for medical
treatments.

The vote Friday meant rival resolutions calling for the General Assembly to 
start drafting a treaty either on a total
ban, or a partial ban, were shelved.

"Of course we're disappointed at the outcome of the very close vote," said U.S. 
deputy ambassador James Cunningham.
"We're disappointed that the proponents of the incomplete ban on cloning have 
been able to use a procedural device to
prevent the international community from registering the significant majority 
that exists in favor of a total ban."

Iran's U.N. legal adviser, Mostafa Dolatyar, told the committee that Islamic 
ambassadors unanimously asked for the
delay "to give adequate time for all member states to study all aspects and 
ramifications" of what he called "a very
complex and delicate question."

"We are deeply concerned that despite all the efforts made, no consensus on the 
item ... has emerged yet," he said,
expressing hope that the legal committee "will come up with a consensual 
mandate in due course."

Scientists who support cloning to produce human embryos for medical purposes 
say they hope to use stem cells from the
embryos to find cures for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other debilitating 
diseases.

Stem cells can divide and turn into any kind of cell in the body -- raising the 
possibility of "growing" replacement
organs for sick people.

The Roman Catholic Church and anti-abortion groups say stem cell research is 
tantamount to murder because it starts
with the destruction of a human embryo to recover the cells.

France and Germany, which support the partial ban, said in a joint statement 
that the postponement was "the lesser evil
given the present lack of consensus."

Both countries said they consider it "paramount that this subject remains on 
the agenda of the General Assembly."

SOURCE: The Associated Press / The Washington Post, DC


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