Catholic World News News Feature
France bans cloning, allows stem cell research July 09, 2004
France's parliament on Friday approved a ban on human cloning, but allowed embryonic stem-cell research for a five-year test period.
The new law makes human cloning punishable by up to 30 years in prison and calls the practice a crime against humanity. It includes a ban on both reproductive cloning-- cloning a person and then allowing the clone to be born-- and so-called "therapeutic" cloning-- cloning a person and then killing the clone before birth in order to harvest his organs. Engaging in therapeutic cloning would merit a lesser sentence of only seven years.
The suspension of the ban on embryonic stem-cell research was enacted in order to assess the merits of the research, according to government officials, and to see whether it will lead to new treatments for diseases.
The new law, an update to the 1994 bioethics law, was mainly supported by conservatives. The Socialist party said they would take their objections to the Constitutional Council.
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