UN panel votes to oppose cloning News
UN panel votes to oppose cloning

[JURIST] The UN General Assembly's legal committee [official website] has adopted a non-binding resolution against all forms of human cloning, including techniques used in stem cell research. After several days of debate [JURIST report], the committee voted 71-35, with 43 abstentions, to adopt the resolution, which was put forward by Honduras and backed by the Bush administration. The measure will now go to the full 191-nation assembly for a vote. Opponents of the measure, including Britain, Belgium, and Singapore, say it will have no effect on their practice of stem cell research. Even if approved by the full assembly, the resolution would only be a recommendation, without binding legal force. Reuters has more. The UN abandoned efforts to draft a binding treaty [AP report] on the subject last year.