8 October 2006

Australians should oppose legislation allowing the creation of human embryos with the intention of destroying them for research, the President of the NSW Council of Churches said today.

Commenting on two Bills before the Senate, Council President Mr David Crawford said a ban on human cloning, in place since 2002, should remain.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the Council unanimously approved a new policy on human cloning, stating that it:

* affirmed the inherent value and vulnerability of human life prior to birth;

* recognised the value of advances in biomedicine and biotechnology for human health and wellbeing;

* opposed the creation of human embryos and human embryo clones for the purpose of destruction for research, training and clinical application;

* opposed experimentation involving fertilization of human eggs with non-human genetic material and the creation of human embryos using the genetic material of more than two persons; and

* encouraged the development of ethical stem cell research using adult stem cells.

“The NSW Council of Churches believes the proposal to allow destructive research on human embryos is morally flawed, potentially harmful to individuals and society, and unnecessary,” Mr Crawford said.

The Council called on federal and state governments to resist pressure to deregulate stem cell research and human cloning and to increase support for research using adult stem cells.

To assist public education the Council formally endorsed the http://www.cloning.org.au <http://www.cloning.org.au/> website, which opposed human cloning, and the http://www.makeastand.org.au <http://www.makeastand.org.au/> website featuring an online petition against cloning.

Background papers on stem cell research and human cloning were available from http://www.nswchurches.com, the official NSW Council of Churches website.

A Senate Inquiry into the Legislative Responses to Recommendations of the Lockhart Review would conduct public hearings before tabling its report in Federal Parliament by 27 October.

Senate debate was expected to take place in early November, culminating in a conscience vote.

Mr David Crawford Media contact: Rod Benson