Difference between revisions of "United Nations"

Latest revision as of 21:57, 28 April 2014

The United Nations is the world’s foremost international organization. In 2001 France and Germany proposed a binding UN treaty calling for a prohibition on human reproductive cloning, and an early procedural vote suggested unanimous support for this. Subsequently, a significant number of countries expressed opposition to banning reproductive cloning without simultaneously banning research cloning. This led to extended controversy, and the debate became, essentially, a debate over the acceptability of research cloning. By 2003 it became clear that a consensus concerning this topic could not be achieved. In 2005 a non-binding Declaration implying opposition to research cloning was brought to a vote. It received a plurality of votes (46%), which under UN rules makes it the official UN position. But the fact that the Declaration was non-binding, and that 36% of UN member countries abstained or were absent from the vote, reduces its significance.

Offsite links

• United Nations Declaration on Human Cloning
• The United Nations Human Cloning Treaty Debate, 2000-2005
• George J. Annas, Lori B. Andrews, Rosario M. Isasi, "Protecting the Endangered Human: Toward an International Treaty Prohibiting Cloning and Inheritable Alterations," American Journal of Law and Medicine v. 28 (2002): 151-178

Table

The Table shows how each member state voted on the motion to approve the 2005 Declaration on Human Cloning.

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Key

• YES: This country voted in favor of the Declaration, indicating support for a ban on both reproductive and research cloning.
• no: This country voted against the Declaration, indicating support for a ban on reproductive cloning only.
• abstain: This country took an official position of abstaining from voting on the Declaration.
• no vote: This country’s delegate was absent at the time of the vote, or otherwise refrained from voting.

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