(from my inbox)
Hello. Thank you to all who prayed—your prayers definitely made a difference, and this decision WILL have an immediate impact. A decision was not reached until 5:50 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18, but the final decision is a strong pro-life document that actually is better than we had hoped for. Below is first of all, the “official” press release from the pro-life pro-family coalition of NGO’s, followed by two posts from C-Fam, Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, one of several key organizations involved. You may forward this. Having this ban in place will probably have a favorable effect on a cloning bill just introduced this week in U.S. Congress, and also is expected to affect a court case now in progress in UK which has granted two licenses to clone, the first of which is being challenged in British High Court. The document passed by the UN urges all member nations to adopt laws banning all forms of human cloning.
UN PASSES DECLARATION TO BAN ALL FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING
NGO for Ethical Biomedical Research
PRESS RELEASE
FEBRUARY 18, 2005
UNITED NATIONS. The United Nations has called on Member States to adopt urgent legislation outlawing all cloning practices "as they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human life." The declaration, introduced by Honduras, also calls on countries to "prevent the exploitation of women." Cloning requires harvesting eggs from women.
The decision ends three years of deadlock caused by countries seeking approval for cloning research. The United Kingdom, Belgium and Singapore led the opposition for a total ban, insisting that a ban only apply to letting a cloned human live while allowing cloned embryos to be used for research which would kill them. The declaration represents the international community uniting in condemning all human cloning as exploitative and unethical.
At the insistence of delegates from developing countries who feared their women being turned into "egg farms," the declaration calls on Member States to introduce measures to prevent the exploitation of women. Delegates expressed concern that poor women would be targeted to extract the vast numbers of eggs that would be needed, inevitably inflicting painful, dangerous and invasive procedures on vulnerable women.
Included is a proposal calling for wealthier nations to direct attention and funding to pressing medical issues such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It also condemns all applications of any genetic engineering techniques which threaten human dignity.
This declaration represents a significant step forward in advancing respect for human life. Previously, some countries have blocked moves to ban all cloning with claims that stem cells from cloned embryos will treat various maladies (so-called "therapeutic cloning"). Yet not a single person has ever been helped by these stem cells, while ethical adult stem cells are providing miraculous treatments for numerous conditions, including spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's Disease, cancer, heart failure and blindness – doing what cloning supporters can only promise.
The declaration has the same immediate effect as if the committee endorsed a convention in that it sets an international standard. It sends a clear signal to countries that encourage the practice, such as the United Kingdom in particular where two "licenses" for research cloning have been issued. The first is currently subject to a legal challenge on the basis that the cloning "license" is unlawful and unnecessary. It is due to be heard in the High Court shortly. Cloning opponents welcomed the UN's resolution and look forward to Member States fulfilling their international obligations.
For more information contact:
David Prentice, Family Research Council (www.frc.org) 202-286-2477 Nigel Cameron, Institute On Biotechnology and the Human Future
(www.thehumanfuture.org)
Wendy Wright, Concerned Women for America (www.cwfa.org) 202-497-9590 Lea Sevick, C-FAM (www.c-fam.org) 201-407-0826 Thomas Jacobson, Focus on the Family (www.famiy.org) 719-651-3366 Samantha Singson, Campaign Life Coalition - Canada 416-576-1494
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The NGO Coalition for Ethical Biomedical Research is a coalition of pro-life organisations and individuals from around the world.
Current applications of adult stem cell treatments can be seen at: www.stemcellresearch.org and www.corethics.org.
Details of exploitation which would arise from cloning may be obtained from www.cloninginformation.org.
More information on the UK lawsuit due to be heard in the UK High Court may obtained from www.lawcf.org.
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Breakinging News
United Nations voted for Total Ban on Human Cloning
The UN voted today for a comprehensive ban on human cloning. It comes after a two year negotiation and confirms the defeat of the French and German effort to allow for human experimental cloning
“This is a powerful message to the world community that this morally questionable procedure is outside the bounds of acceptable experimentation,” said Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, one of the main NGOs involved in the negotiation. “ This should encourage similar bans in legislatures around the world including in the US Senate,” said Ruse
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For more information contact Mark Adams. 318-794-1170
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Friday Fax
February 18, 2005
Volume 8, Special Report
UN Adopts Pro-Life Declaration Against Human Cloning
In a monumental victory for the pro-life movement, the UN today adopted a declaration condemning human cloning. The UN called on Member States to adopt urgent legislation outlawing all cloning practices "as they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human life."
Costa Rica, which led the effort for a cloning ban, called the declaration a success for those who seek to promote ethical scientific research.
“This is a powerful message to the world that this morally questionable procedure is outside the bounds of acceptable experimentation,” said Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, one of the main NGOs involved in the negotiation. “By adopting this declaration, the international community is united in condemning all human cloning as exploitative and unethical. This should encourage similar bans in legislatures around the world including in the US Senate,” said Ruse.
The declaration, introduced today by Honduras, came on the last day of a week-long special session devoted entirely to resolving this issue. The declaration proved at the last minute to be an acceptable compromise to countries that have appeared staunchly divided all week. The declaration also marks the end of three years of UN deadlock over human cloning.
Countries were divided mainly over whether to protect “human life” or the “human being.” Costa Rica, Uganda, the United States and others who sought to ban all forms of human cloning, supported “human life.” Countries including Belgium, Singapore and the United Kingdom, who wanted to ban only cloning that would result in born human beings, insisted on protecting the “human being,” which according to some international legal documents would protect only those already born.
The declaration also calls on countries to "prevent the exploitation of women." Cloning requires harvesting eggs from women, and delegates from developing countries feared their women being turned into inexpensive "egg farms." The declaration calls on wealthier nations to direct attention and funding to pressing medical issues such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It also condemns all applications of any genetic engineering techniques that threaten human dignity.
The declaration sets an international ethical standard that sends a clear signal to countries that encourage human cloning. For instance, in the United Kingdom, two "licenses" for research cloning have been issued. The first is currently subject to a legal challenge on the basis that the cloning "license" is unlawful and unnecessary. It is due to be heard in the High Court shortly. Cloning opponents in the United Kingdom welcomed the UN's resolution and look forward to Member States fulfilling their international obligations.
Copyright 2005 – C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute). Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required. Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 427 New York, New York 10017
Phone: (212) 754-5948 Fax: (212) 754-9291
E-mail: c-fam@c-fam.org Website: www.c-fam.org
