Did anyone know that Bush was appealing to the United Nations to impose a ban on all human cloning, including that which is done for the sole purpose of stem cell research? I didn't. Sounds like he's trying to take a back door rather than confronting the American people with his intentions to ban all human cloning. Even when developed for therapeutic/medical healing purposes only. I have never known of a president who so obstinately stood in the way of scientific and medical progress. Not to mention how blatantly dishonest and evasive when it comes to stating his unequivocal position on these matters.
UN Urged to Ignore Bush Plea for Human Cloning Ban
Oct 17, 2004
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's national academy of science urged the United Nations on Monday to ignore a call by President Bush to ban all forms of human cloning. The Royal Society said the United States should be allowed to decide whether therapeutic cloning, creating embryos as a source of stem cells to cure diseases, is prohibited within its own borders.Posted by Maria at October 18, 2004 05:07 PM"But other countries, including the UK, have now passed legislation to allow carefully regulated therapeutic cloning while introducing a ban on reproductive cloning," Lord May of Oxford, the president of the society said in a statement.
Last month in a speech to the United Nations Bush called for all countries to support a ban on therapeutic and human reproductive cloning proposed by Costa Rica. May believes nations should back a Belgian proposal when the U.N. General Assembly votes on the issue later this month. The Belgian plan would outlaw human reproductive cloning but allow countries to make their own decision on therapeutic cloning.
"If this proposal was successful the United States and others would be still be free to ban all human cloning but countries that see the promise offered by therapeutic cloning can still carry out research," May explained.
Therapeutic cloning is a controversial area of research because it involves the creation and destruction of early embryos to mine them for stem cells which have the ability to develop any type of cell or tissue in the body.
Scientists believe therapeutic cloning could lead to new treatments for illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and heart disease.
The Royal Society argues that countries which allow regulated therapeutic cloning would not sign up to a convention supporting a total ban on cloning.
Although member nations would not be compelled to support a treaty banning all forms of human cloning, the society said it would place a major obstacle in the way of stem cell research.
"The US government's approach at the UN appears more designed to influence domestic legislation, where attempts to introduce a total ban have so far failed, at the expense of a workable international ban on reproductive cloning," said May.
"Indeed, the US has not yet outlawed reproductive cloning itself," he added.
he's a whack-job, what more can you say?! 14 days and counting until we vote him back to texas...
Posted by: P at October 18, 2004 06:52 PMBack door politics is how he snuck into the presidnecy. He billed himslef in 2000 as the middel road compassionate conservative and then got into office being a hard lined neocon.
Back door politics is how they snuck in last minute provisions into the patriot act in order to protect big businesses. Such as, you can no longer sue a pharmaceutical if they make a bad batch of vaccine and it affects you.
Back door politics is how they managed to get haliburton into iraq on a no-bid contract.
Dirty politics have been a way off life in thsi country for meany years. But what this administartion and current generation fo GOP'ers are doing is borderline criminal.