Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Don't Overturn Clone Ban: Church Leaders

Church leaders are calling on NSW politicians not to support the overturning of a ban on therapeutic cloning.

A controversial bill to overturn the current ban on stem cell research, also known as Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, is due to be debated in the lower house of state parliament tomorrow.

MPs from both sides of politics will be allowed a conscience vote on the legislation, which would allow therapeutic cloning but maintains the ban on human reproductive cloning.

If passed, the legislation would bring NSW in line with the Commonwealth, which overturned a ban on therapeutic cloning in December 2006.

But both the Anglican and Catholic churches are asking MPs to vote against the bill.
Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell said all members of parliament should reject the cloning of human embryos for experimentation and destruction.

"No Catholic politician, indeed no Christian or person with respect for human life who has properly informed his conscience about the facts and ethics in this area should vote in favour of this immoral legislation," he said in a statement tonight.

"If this bill is passed, the enemies of human life will soon be back with further proposals, disguised with sweet words and promises of cures, to roll back the few remaining barriers to the regular destruction of early human life."

Cardinal Pell said NSW should not simply follow the commonwealth's lead in overturning the therapeutic cloning ban.

"The Catholic Church in NSW, through grants and through its hospitals and research institutes, is a promoter of ethical stem cell research on adult and umbilical cord stem cells," he said.

"But allowing scientists open slather on human embryos for unethical research is not the best way forward."

The Anglican church has circulated a letter to politicians asking them not to vote in favour of the bill.

In the letter, the church said the bill sought to redraw a line that shouldn't be crossed and the potential benefits did not necessarily make it acceptable to proceed.

"The major impetus for these changes to the existing legislation comes from a good desire for cures to many serious disease," the letter states.

"This desire has been ignited into hope with the declaration of many proponents that embryonic stem cells will provide these cures.

"Are we in a position to accept these declarations and then pass a bill which dismisses the overall ethical questions surrounding this type of research?"

NSW Premier Morris Iemma has previously said he would support the bill, describing it as a "balanced package" which would offer hope to thousands of people suffering otherwise incurable diseases.

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