UNITED NATIONS — Breaking with customary neutrality on highly contested issues, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has come out publicly in favor of human cloning for research purposes just as the General Assembly commenced two days of critical hearings on the issue.
“Obviously it is an issue for the member-states to decide, but as an individual and in my personal view, I think I would go for therapeutic cloning,” Annan told reporters.
While the partisan comment from the Secretary General came as a surprise to many, pro-life leaders on the international scene saw it as par for the course. Annan is known to United Nations watchers as an advocate of abortion and same-sex “marriage.”
Last year, Annan attended part of a homosexual activist conference held at the United Nations where he remarked on same-sex “marriage” saying, “individuals should be allowed to make their own choices and that we should be careful not to draw conclusions, or adopt prejudicial attitudes, towards people for their choices and preferences.”
Early this year Annan accepted an award from one of the UN's most radical pro-abortion groups. The International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC), which advocates for worldwide abortion on demand, was thanked by an enthusiastic Annan. The theoretically objective Secretary General thanked the group saying that the “IWHC and its partners provide indispensable leadership for the health and rights of girls and women worldwide. If there were more pioneers like you, the world would be a better place….You are a shining example.”
Annan's critical view of Christians who struggle against the culture of death was made evident in December 2000 at a farewell event for Nafis Sadik, the former head of the UN's population control arm, UNFPA.
Annan praised Sadik for her promotion of population control around the world. “You have done more than anyone to bring about a radical change in the way the world sees population issues,” he said. In a revealing quote Annan lauded Sadik's “willingness to brave the wrath, if not of the Almighty Himself, then certainly of those who claim to speak for Him here on earth…. And what is more, you have won your point.”
See also:
Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to United Nations and Kofi Annan
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Supports Homosexual “Marriage”
Kofi Annan Enthusiastically Accepts Award from Radical Abortion Promoters
Also, United Nations Commences Debate on Human Cloning Ban — US Remains Firm
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations General Assembly legal committee launched official debates on a Costa Rican proposal to ban all forms of human cloning. A competing proposal put forward by Belgium would allow for euphemistically labeled “therapeutic” cloning which involves the creation of human clones who would be used for experimentation and killed, rather than allowed to be born.
Costa Rican representative Roberto Tovar introduced his country's comprehensive ban on human cloning noting that all human cloning was an affront to human dignity. He pointed out moreover that such research is totally unnecessary, especially given the vastly greater success with ethical non-embryonic stem-cell research. The Costa Rican proposal is co-sponsored by over 50 countries.
Marc Pecsteen, the representative from Belgium, attempted to present his proposal as not actually in favor of “therapeutic” cloning, but only leaving the question open for individual countries to decide. The Belgian proposal to allow cloning is backed by some 20 countries and most strongly by Britain which has already approved and commenced creating human beings through cloning for research purposes.
A third looming possibility in the debate is to have another vote to delay the proceedings. Last year the committee voted to delay the vote on the drafts for two years. Despite the massive lobby effort of moneyed interests, the Bush administration has firmly continued to support the Costa Rican proposal.
“A partial ban that prohibits cloning for reproductive purpose but permits the destruction of cloned human embryos for experimental purposes is unacceptable,” an American State Department official said. “Our position on cloning has not changed. We believe all cloning is wrong and should be banned.”
(This update courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.)
