VATICAN CITY, OCT 22, 2004 (VIS) - Archbishop
Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations, spoke in
New York yesterday before the Sixth Committee on Item 150: International
Convention Against the Reproductive Cloning of Human Beings.
Noting that this issue has been on the U.N. agenda since late 2001, he said
that "from the beginning, it has appeared clear that, in spite of the
agenda item's name, 'International Convention against the reproductive cloning
of human beings', the purpose of this exercise has actually been to find a
juridical framework that would allow and accelerate the advancement of medical
science in the procurement and use of stem cells, and to identify and ban
practices that would be disrespectful to human dignity."
"From a purely scientific point of view," he pointed out, "the
therapeutic progress already achieved with so-called adult stem cells, namely
stem cells from bone marrow, cord blood, and other mature tissues appears very
promising. Embryonic cloning, for its part, is as yet far from delivering the
progress that its advocates suggest."
The nuncio went on to say that "the distinction that is sometimes drawn
between reproductive and therapeutic cloning seems specious. Both involve the
same technical cloning process and differ only in goal. Both forms of cloning
involve disrespect for the dignity of the human being. In fact, from an ethical
and anthropological standpoint, so-called therapeutic cloning, creating human
embryos with the intention of destroying them, even if undertaken with the goal
of possibly helping sick patients in the future, seems very clearly incompatible
with respect for the dignity of the human being, making one human life nothing
more than the instrument of another."
"If adult stem cell research has already demonstrated conditions for
success and raises no ethical questions," emphasized Archbishop Migliore,
"it is only reasonable that it should be pursued before science embarks on
cloning embryos as a source for stem cells, something which remains problematic
both scientifically and ethically."
The Holy See believes that " the choice is not between science and
ethics, but between science that is ethically responsible and science that is
not. Thousands of lives have been saved by adult stem cells" and evidence
shows that " that adult stem cell transplants are safe, and preliminary
results suggest they will be able to help people with Parkinson's disease,
spinal cord injury, heart damage and dozens of other conditions."
In conclusion, the observer said that the Holy See is "convinced that
the subject of human embryonic cloning can be best addressed by a juridical
instrument, since the rule of law is essential to the promotion and protection
of human life."