UN backs US plea for total ban on human cloning

[arcos]

UN backs US plea for total ban on human cloning

UNITED NATIONS, March 8 (Reuters) - A divided U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday approved a nonbinding statement urging governments to adopt laws banning all forms of human cloning, including the cloning of human embryos for stem cell research.

In a victory for the George W. Bush administration and many predominantly Catholic countries, the 191-nation assembly voted 84 to 34, with 37 abstentions, to approve the statement put forward by Honduras and endorsed by its legal committee by a similar margin last month.

Many Islamic countries abstained on grounds there was no consensus at the United Nations on the hot-button issue of whether stem cell research constituted a valid medical pursuit or the taking of human lives.

Opponents of the measure, including Britain, Belgium and China, said the text was not legally binding and would have no impact on their scientists' pursuit of stem cell research.

<snip>

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08654741.htm

[saigon68]

1. Hateful right wing whack jobs

Out to burn Copernicus at the stake again.

The world is flat don't you know.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. It's sad to see the U.N promote DEATH.

Stem Cell research is the future of Humanity!!!

[Kitsune]

3. What the hell is the matter with cloning?

Nobody has ever been able to give me a good reason why cloning is bad.

[happyhead]

4. why on earth?

I totally agree....Why on earth would they ban something that could save thousands of lives?

[ashmanonar]

5. psychological and identity problems.

i's say that's the BIGGEST problem with cloning. i have no problem with doing it, except that it probably wouldn't be beneficial to the individual. it's asking for trouble.

now, i'm not saying that cloning is morally wrong, or against "god's will"...there's all sorts of theological reasons to say that that's wrong. but i am saying that cloning could lead to future problems with the dichotomy of "individual and mob"

in other words: to see someone EXACTLY like you sets up a confusing and possibly dangerous issue in your mind, as to which one of you is the real one, and which one is the clone...

and there's also the issue of what rights pertain to a cloned human: are they human, with human rights, or are they creations, outside the rule of law, for corporations and scientists to experiment on at will? will they be used as test subjects for shampoo, or for new drugs?

there's a whole host of ethical problems that pertain to cloning, and incidentally to genetic engineering, that need to be addressed before we even think about making clones.

stem cell is quite different, bc that's a source material that is used to study cancer/neurological diseases/aids/ etc. there's ethical concerns there too, but i'd say that they're minor comparedc to the cloninng issues.

[GiovanniC]

7. Medically Speaking, If I Cloned You

It wouldn't be like on "Star Trek" or something. The clone would be born just like a normal child would be. You wouldn't be standing face-to-face with yourself: at best, you'd be looking at what you used to look like.

Furthermore, if they want to factor for potential ethical dilemmas like using clones as lab rats or a master race or whatever, then do that... don't just ban a practice that is potentially helpful and therapeutic simply because it can be misused. Lots of things can be misused: an axe can be used to break down a door in a fire, to chop down a tree, or to cut someone's head off.

[ashmanonar]

8. that's why they need to address the real issues of ethics

rather than the false moral crap they try to push over.

and you didn't address the ethical concerns of cloning: what rights pertain to a cloned person?

[GiovanniC]

9. There Is No Ethical Dilemma

A cloned person has the same rights as a non-cloned person. They are essentially an identical twin born after the fact. Therapeutic cloning (for stem cells, etc.) are simply clusters of cells (in other words, we're not cloning a full-on human being and then killing them to harvest their organs).

[ashmanonar]

10. well, that's what needs to be established then.

if there wasn't some sort of at least regulation on this, can you imagine what companies and governments would do?

i'm not saying BAN ALL CLONING BC ITS' EVIL!!!!!111oneone

i'm simply saying we need to give thought to these issues, bc if we don't, corporations would LOVE to find the loopholes we left from too hastily researching cloning.

[GiovanniC]

11. There's No Argument Here

I'm just saying: Don't ban cloning because of confusion about the rights of cloned humans... just clear up the confusion and move forward.

[ashmanonar]

12. first off, as i said, did i want to ban it?

no. i just want to make sure cloning technology is used properly in research. it's a matter of ethics, and perhaps of regulation. i don't want eugenicists or virologists with an agenda or whatever to get hold of DNA technology and make "aesthetic" changes.

ok, here's a working example of why it's better to sit back and think about the implications of what you're trying to do in science, before you actually do it:

in 1945, the first atomic reaction was set off in the desert, the mojave i believe. at that time: the scientists who had built this device, some of the most learned and intelligent men in the US, or indeed the world: didn't know what would happen. they had theories, but no actual proofs. there was a small group of them who believed that if they set off this device, it would IGNITE THE AIR, and cause a worldwide combustion of the atmosphere. that's how unsure they were of it's power.

and they set it off anyways.

that was a huge risk they took. i'd like to avoid such risks in the future. by making cloning technology or genetic technology available to many people worldwide, there are risks involved.

i want people to think clearly about this stuff, to go in with open eyes so to speak, and not go "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" on science. there are great benefits to be found from stem cell research, but also great risks taken when it is disseminated. scientists are only human.

[GiovanniC]

14. I Never Said You Advocated Banning Cloning

My comments against banning it were not directed specifically at you, but at anyone who WOULD advocate the banning of cloning. And I also agree with you wholeheartedly that as the field of cloning is further researched, it should be done reputable, accredited scientific settings and that appropriate safety measures should be observed. Potential risks should be minimized but the potential benefits of such research certainly outweigh the risks, in my opinion.

[ashmanonar]

15. we're in agreement then.

it just sounded like you mischaracterized my statements.

didn't mean to argue it for so long.

[GiovanniC]

6. Fuck All Those Alive People

The rights of clusters of cells shall not be infringed!

In other news, the Catholic Church and the George W. Bush administration have launched a thorough joint investigation into a 13-year-old from New Jersey, whose nighttime dream prompted the annihilation of approximately 450 million potential unborn children. "We are talking about a scale of devestation that Hitler couldn't even dream of," a spokesman for the Pope said early Tuesday.

Bush press secretary Scott McClellan reiterated the point in a Tuesday afternoon press gaggle. "This president firmly supports the rights of all humans and potential humans right up until the moment they are born. Radical and reactionary liberals are attempting to cloud this issue by calling this event a simple 'wet dream', but President Bush recognizes a holocaust when he sees one. This boy will be brought to justice to answer for his crimes against humanity."

The boy could not be reached at press time because he was in second period history. Devoloping...

[arcos]

13. hahaha!! nt

[struggle4progress]

16. ... How they voted:

For: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Chile, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Morocco, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Suriname, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uzbekistan, Zambia.

Against: Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Iceland, India, Jamaica, Japan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom.

Abstained: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Yemen, Zimbabwe .....

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/09/un_approves_cloning_ban/