DOCUMENTS
Statement of the Holy See on Human Cloning addressed to theUnited Nations
“Humanity Needs a Common Basis, a Common Understandingof Humanity”
ROME, OCT. 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Here is the documentprepared by the Holy See on human cloning for the debate that took place in theU.N.
General Assembly's Committee on October 21-22.
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1) The Holy See is convinced of the need to support andpromote scientific research for the
benefit of humanity. Thus, the Holy See earnestly
encourages investigations that are being carried out in thefields of medicine and biology, with the goal of curing diseases and ofimproving the
quality of life of all, provided that they are respectful ofthe dignity of the human being. This respect demands that any research that isinconsistent
with the dignity of the human being is morally excluded.
2) There are two potential sources of stem cells for humanresearch, firstly "adult" stem cells, which are derived from theumbilical cord blood, the
bone marrow and other tissues and secondly"embryonic" stem cells, which are obtained by the disaggregation ofhuman embryos. The Holy See
opposes the cloning of human embryos for the purpose ofdestroying them in order to harvest their stem cells, even for a noble purpose,because
it is inconsistent with the ground and motive of humanbiomedical research, that is, respect for the dignity of human beings. However,the Holy
See applauds and encourages research using adult stem cells,because it is completely compatible with respect for the dignity of humanbeings.
The unexpected plasticity of adult stem cells has made itpossible to use this type of undifferentiated, self-renewing cell successfullyfor the
healing of various human tissues and organs, (1)particularly in hearts damaged after myocardial infarction. (2) The multipletherapeutic
achievements that have been demonstrated using adult stemcells, and the promise they hold for other diseases, such as neurodegenerative
disorders or diabetes, make efforts to support this fruitfulavenue of investigation an urgent matter (3). Above all, it is universallyagreed that the
use of adult stem cells does not entail any ethicalproblems.
3) By contrast, research using human embryonic stem cellshas been hampered by important technical difficulties (4). Embryonic stem cell
experiments have not yet produced a single unqualifiedtherapeutic success, not even in animal models (5). Moreover, embryonic stemcells have
caused tumor in animal models (6) and might seed cancer ifadministered to human patients (7). Unless these grave hazards are removed,
embryonic stem cell experiments would not have any clinicalapplication (8). Technical problems aside, the need to extract these cells fromliving
human embryos raises ethical questions of the highest order.
4) The so-called "therapeutic cloning", whichwould be better called "research cloning" because we are still farfrom therapeutic applications, has
been proposed in order to avert the potential immunerejection of embryonic stem cells derived from a donor other than the host.However, the
use of cloned embryonic stem cells entails a high risk ofintroducing cells from abnormal embryos into patients. It has been well establishedthat
most of the non-human embryos produced through nucleartransfer cloning are abnormal, with a deficiency in several of the genes(imprinted
and non imprinted) necessary to the development of the earlyembryo. (9) Embryonic stem cells harvested from abnormal and unfit embryos will
carry their "epigenetic defects" and transmit atleast part of them to their daughter cells. The transfer of such clonedembryonic stem cells into a
patient would be therefore extremely hazardous: these cellsmight provoke genetic disorders, or initiate leukemias or other cancers.Moreover, a
non-human primate model of cloning, which would be necessaryin order to conduct experiments to establish safety before attempting
therapeutic experiments in human beings, has yet to bedeveloped (10).
5) The health benefits of therapeutic cloning arehypothetical, in as much as the method itself remains mainly a hypothesis. Thusthe crescendo
of hyperboles extolling the promise of this type of researchmight in the end undermine the very cause it pretends to serve (11). Indeed,even
putting aside fundamental ethical considerations other thanthe patient's expectations, the present state of "therapeuticcloning" precludes, now
and in the near future, any clinical application.
6) Scientists, philosophers, politicians, and humanistsagree on the need for an international ban on reproductive cloning. From abiological
standpoint, bringing cloned human embryos to birth would bedangerous for the human species. This asexual form of reproduction would bypass
the usual "shuffling" of genes that makes everyindividual unique in his/her genome and would arbitrarily fix the genotype inone particular
configuration, (12) with predictable negative geneticconsequences for the human genepool. It would also be prohibitively dangerousfor the
individual clone. (13) From an anthropological standpoint,most people recognize that cloning is offensive to human dignity. Cloningwould,
indeed, bring a person to life, but through a laboratorymanipulation in the order of pure zootechnology. This person would enter theworld as a
"copy" (even if only a biological copy) of anotherbeing. While ontologically unique and worthy of respect, the manner in which acloned human
being has been brought into the world would mark that personmore as an artifact rather than a fellow human being, a replacement rather thanan
unique individual, an instrument of someone else's willrather than an end in himself or herself, a replaceable consumer commodityrather than
an unrepeatable event in human history. Thus, disrespect forthe dignity of the human person is inherent in cloning.
7) However, some would like to leave the prospect of"therapeutic cloning" out of this proposed international prohibition,as if it were a process
different from the reproductive one. The truth isreproductive cloning and "therapeutic" or "research" cloningare not two different kinds of cloning:
they involve the same technical cloning process and differonly in the goals being sought. With reproductive cloning, one aims to implantthe
cloned embryo in the uterus of a surrogate mother in orderto "produce" a child; with "research" cloning, one aims toutilize immediately the cloned
embryo, without allowing it to develop, thus eliminating itin the process. One can even affirm that any type of cloning is"reproductive" in its first
stage, because it has to produce, through the cloningprocess, an individual autonomous new organism, endowed with a specific andunique
identity, before attempting any other operation with thatembryo.
8) "Therapeutic cloning" is not ethically neutral.Indeed, ethically speaking, it would even be worse than the "reproductivecloning." In "reproductive"
cloning, one at least gives the newly produced human being,innocent of his/her origin, a chance to develop and be born. In"therapeutic" cloning,
one uses the newly produced human being as mere laboratorymaterial. Such instrumental use of a human being gravely offends human dignity
and human kind. The term "dignity", as used inthis Position Paper and in the Charter of the United Nations, does not refer toa concept of worth
based on the skills and powers of individuals and the valuethat others may attribute to them - a value one might call "attributeddignity".
The notion of attributed dignity allows for hierarchical,unequal, arbitrary, and even discriminatory judgments. Dignity is used here tomean the
intrinsic worth that is commonly and equally shared by allhuman beings, whatever their social, intellectual or physical conditions maybe. It is this
dignity that obliges all of us to respect every human being,whatever his or her condition, all the more if he or she is in need ofprotection or care.
Dignity is the basis of all human rights. We are bound torespect the rights of others because we first recognize their dignity.
9) Honesty suggests that if one specific course of researchhas already demonstrated conditions for success and raises no ethicalquestions, it
should be pursued before embarking on another that has shownlittle prospect of success and raises ethical concerns. Resources in biological
investigations are limited. "Therapeutic cloning"is an unproven theory that may well turn out to be a dramatic waste of time andmoney. Good
sense and the need for goal-oriented, serious basic researchtherefore calls on the world's biomedical community to allocate the necessary
funding to research using "adult" stem cells.
10) The world cannot take two different roads: the road ofthose who are willing to sacrifice or commercialize human beings for the sakeof a
privileged few, and the road of those who cannot accept thisabuse. For its own sake, humanity needs a common basis - a common
understanding of humanity and a common understanding of thefundamental bases upon which all our ideas about human rights depend. It is
incumbent upon the United Nations to exert every effort inthe search for this basis, so that human beings may be respected as they are.To bring
forward the project for an international, global prohibitionof human cloning is part of this UN mission and duty.
From the Vatican, September 27, 2004
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