Non-member submission from [vashishi@erols.com]
From: Valerie Darbe vashishi@erols.com
A few days ago I asked for comments regarding cloning humans, whether it
should be illegal without the original DNA owners permission etc.
I received several responses --ALL of which were of the opinion that cloning
human beings should be illegal and that it was inherently wrong to clone
humans.
Additionally, I was apprised of a few tidbits regarding human cloning
arguments as follows. First is a note regarding a European Directive
followed by a Sept. 7, 2000 Reuters article. Thanks to those who responded.
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Valerie--this is a forward from a news feed I received 15 Octobre
The European Union's commissioner for research has confirmed that a 1998
European directive which prohibited the patenting of cloning technology
applies to so-called therapeutic cloning as well as to reproductive cloning.
Commissioner Philippe Busquin made his comments in a letter to Peter Liese,
a pro-life member of the European Parliament. The directive concerned
(98/44/EC) observed that a consensus existed within the European Community
that human cloning "offends against 'ordre public' and morality". Comment on
Reproductive Ethics, an anti-cloning pressure group, reported that the
directive was adopted with the vote of the United Kingdom. European
directives do not in themselves have the force of law, but there is a
requirement that European Union member states should incorporate them into
their own national law. [CORE release, 12 October, and other sources]
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Updated 10:37 AM EDT September 07, 2000
News Article: European Deputies Slam British Embryo Cloning Call
STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Thursday condemned
a call by Britain's chief medical officer to allow British scientists to
clone human embryos for use in medical research.
A non-binding resolution, narrowly approved in a 237-230 vote by the
European Union's assembly, said "therapeutic" cloning -- in which embryos
are cloned for medical research -- "irreversibly crosses a boundary in
research norms." No European Union money should be used to fund such work,
the resolution said. The British government's chief medical officer Liam
Donaldson recommended in August that the country's scientists be allowed to
clone human embryos for use in a wider variety of medical research.
In 1990, the British Parliament approved embryo research for five reasons,
mainly involving infertility treatment and avoiding genetic disorders in
children. But Donaldson called for the scope of permissible research to be
widened. Leading an attack on the recommendation, German Christian Democrat
deputy Peter Liese told the European Parliament: "Up until now, every
responsible human being considered it unacceptable to clone human embryos
for any reason." Liese accused the British of breaking ranks with this
consensus, paving the way for an erosion of respect for human life.
British Conservative deputy Charles Tannock told a news conference on
Wednesday that the distinction between "therapeutic" cloning and cloning
embryos to make a baby was spurious as one step would probably lead to the
other. "(This) could eventually lead to the Orwellian nightmare of cloned
babies," he said. But a fellow Conservative, John Purvis, told the European
Parliament the research proposed in Britain would lead to important medical
benefits which it would be unethical to deny. Philippe Busquin, the European
commissioner in charge of the European Union's research programs, said EU
rules already excluded spending research cash on human cloning for either
reproductive or therapeutic reasons.
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