Holy see addresses U.N. on human cloning. (Vatican).

New York--Archbishop Renato Martino, the Vatican's permanent observer at the United Nations, addressed the session on November 19, 2001, on the international convention against the reproductive cloning of human beings.

The archbishop's first point made reference to the discussion linked to a proposal made at the U.S. Academy of Science in August 2001 that cloning could be considered to assist infertile couples who could not benefit from other reproductive technologies. He repeated the Holy See's position rejecting "any and all aspects" of human cloning, on a moral and ethical basis, not merely because of anticipated failed results. A child produced by successful cloning "would be seen as an object...rather than as a unique human being, equal in dignity to those who 'created' him or her."

Secondly, Archbishop Martino addressed the ongoing controversy of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) as it relates to therapeutic cloning. He insisted that the production of human embryos in order to supply specialized stem cells for the treatment of certain illnesses should be prohibited, as such a use necessarily involves the eventual destruction of the embryos. These embryos are created in order to be destroyed.

This, the archbishop described as an "exploitation of human beings...even when others might benefit from the practice." He further noted that on a scientific level "those same stem cells can be obtained by other, acceptable means."