Legal Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted a document calling on governments of the world to ban all forms of human cloning.
Under the ban is not only reproductive, but also therapeutic cloning, or cloning of embryonic stem cells to produce crops used for the treatment of various diseases.
The draft of UN resolution was adopted by 71 votes in favor, with 35 against and 43 abstentions. Now, the document will be submitted to the UN General Assembly. If it also receives the endorsement of most of the 191 countries it’ll enter into force.
According to the “Reuters”, the basis for the resolution has been proposed by the United States for a total ban on work in the field of human cloning, human organs, tissues and cells.
The ban on reproductive cloning was passed with virtually no debate, but the question of the use of stem cells in medical practice has caused much controversy.
But in the end it was decided to equate any kind of human cloning to the infringement of human life and, therefore, to prohibit human cloning in all its forms.
It should be noted that not all members agreed with the outcome of the UN vote. Representatives of countries that have not supported the United States, at the end of the meeting declared the document invalid, as the number of countries that had voted against it or abstentions in the vote was greater than the number of countries that had voted in favor.
Recall that the issue of the ethics of human cloning is discussed by scientists, doctors and specialists in bioethics for years.
On the one hand, the development of appropriate methods would solve many health problems people faced with - for example, by using embryonic stem cells could cure Alzheimer’s disease or spinal cord injury, which are impossible to treat in other ways.
On the other - the cloning of human beings is not acceptable from an ethical point of view. Unfortunately, it’s impossible now to come to the consensus in this dispute!
Apr 17
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