Doctors Urged To Abstain From Cloning
The World Medical Association's annual General Assembly, meeting
in Hamburg, Germany, has called on all doctors engaged in research
and other researchers to abstain voluntarily from participating
in the cloning of human beings.
Endorsing a resolution from its Council earlier this year, the
General Assembly said doctors should cease work in this field
"until the scientific, ethical and legal issues have been
fully considered by doctors and scientists and any necessary controls
put in place".
The resolution said that the cloning of sheep had raised the
possibility of such techniques being used in humans, "in
turn raising concern for the dignity of the human being and protection
for the security of human genetic material".
Dr Anders Milton, chairman of the WMA Council, said: "The
WMA will continue to study the ethical, human and legal implications
of whether some of the techniques used in cloning should or should
not be used in other areas, be they scientific or related to the
treatment of patients."
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