National Academy of Sciences Asks U.S. Delegation Oppose Proposed Cloning Research Ban at the UN

Washington, 07 Oct 2004

In a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Academy of Sciences President Bruce Alberts asked the U.S. delegation to the United Nations to vote against a proposed ban on all human cloning research.

Last fall, the NAS and 66 other science academies issued a statement, via the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues, supporting a ban on reproductive cloning aimed at creating a child. However, such a ban should not extend to research on therapeutic cloning, which could lead to life-saving medical treatments.

NAS Statement on Cloning (Dec. 8, 2003)
IAP Statement on Cloning (Sept. 22, 2003)

Report: Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine (2002)
Report: Scientific and Medical Aspects of Human Reproductive Cloning (2002)
Oct. 12-13 Workshop: Stem Cell Research Guidelines

The National Academies: Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering and Medicine
Item source: http://www.nationalacademies.org/topnews /#tn1007