] A global ban on all medical applications of human cloning ] was averted by an eleventh-hour deal at the United ] Nations on Tuesday. Last-minute haggling in the aisles of ] the UN General Assembly in New York sealed a compromise ] which postpones debate on a cloning treaty until October ] 2004. ] ] A total ban, backed by the US, the Vatican and other ] Catholic countries, would have caused a deep rift with ] nations such as the UK and the Netherlands that want the ] right to pursue new medical treatments from cloning. ] ] All countries want a UN treaty that will ban the creation ] of cloned human babies. But a US-backed proposal put ] forward by Costa Rica sought to extend the ban to ] "therapeutic" cloning. This aims to use stem cells from ] cloned embryos to treat diseases such as Parkinson's ] disease, but requires the embryo to be destroyed. Good god. I am glad I have been too distracted by finals to hear about this until now - a full ban on therapuetic cloning would be dumb |