ASH Advocacy Successful on UN Vote on Human Cloning Ban

March 9, 2005 – The United Nations (UN) yesterday approved a non-binding resolution that banned all forms of human cloning, including nuclear transfer (NT) research. Over the past three years, the Bush Administration, along with the government of Costa Rica, has been urging the UN to pass a full treaty banning all cloning. However, in the end, only a non-binding declaration that is unenforceable by law was passed by the global body.

Over the past several days, ASH participated in an advocacy effort that generated more than 12,000 faxes to UN General Assembly missions in favor of banning human reproductive cloning while specifically allowing NT research. Although the UN did ultimately approve a ban on all forms of human cloning, our advocacy efforts contributed to ensuring that the vote did not further restrict NT research across the globe. The non-binding declaration has no real force and is very vague in the distinction that it makes between reproductive cloning and NT research. Based on our advocacy and the ambiguity of the resolution, a majority of countries in the General Assembly abstained or voted against the resolution. ASH’s letter to the UN General Assembly is available on the ASH Web site.

ASH believes that NT research is a critical tool for scientists to fully develop the promise of stem cell research and will allow scientists to create new embryonic stem cell lines that advance the full investigation of the genetic causes of disease. Moreover, NT is a powerful technique that allows scientists to study differences between normal and diseased cells, so that future treatments can be discovered. New knowledge derived from NT will accelerate the search for new treatments for some of the world’s most complex diseases. The Society’s full policy statement on Nuclear Transfer and Human Reproductive Cloning is available online.

If you have questions, or need more information, please contact ASH Government Affairs Manager Jeff Coughlin at (202) 776-0544.