BRITAIN’S leading academic institution is urging the United Nations to ban the cloning of babies, while allowing the use of cloning for research.
Before the meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Royal Society has joined 67 other national academies in opposing US efforts to bring in a total ban that would cover both reproductive and therapeutic cloning.
The Bush Administration is pushing for the all-encompassing ban but scientists fear that it would put a major obstacle in the way of vital stem-cell research while failing to control maverick scientists who want to clone babies.
Last year the UN voted by a slim margin to postpone the decision despite powerful lobbying by the US.
Earlier attempts to agree on a reproductive ban were scuppered by America, which ruled out any treaty unless therapeutic cloning was banned as well.
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Although it stands shoulder to shoulder with the US on other international issues, Britain is strongly opposed to a total cloning ban.
Earlier this month scientists from the University of Newcastle were granted a licence to clone human embryos for medical research.
The UN General Assembly is to begin discussions in October on introducing a new convention on human cloning.
Professor Richard Gardner, chairman of the Royal Society’s working group on stem-cell research and cloning, said: “If the convention bans all forms of human cloning, the UK, and other countries which currently permit carefully regulated therapeutic cloning, will not sign up to it.
“To stop cowboy cloners claiming that human reproductive cloning is acceptable, because it is not outlawed throughout the world, a UN convention must be passed that all countries are willing to endorse.
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“For countries that have not yet brought in a ban, a UN convention which draws a clear distinction between reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning will provide invaluable guidance in passing effective legislation.”