Ethics expert indicates a preference towards a precautionary approach for cloning
The President of the European Group on Ethics, Mrs Noëlle Lenoir, has indicated the group may advise the European Commission to follow the precautionary principle with regards to legalising human cloning when it publishes an opinion on the subject this November. 'We shall perhaps be taking things in stages, with focus on the precautionary principle,' she told the French publication 'Le Journal du Dimanche'. Her comment comes in the wake of a British report advising the legalisation of stem cell research - including research on human embryos - subject to strict legal controls and ethical considerations. The UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has taken up the recommendations, and will put the issue to vote in the UK's House of Commons. While a 1998 European directive on patents bans any industrial or commercial use of embryos, the measures called for in the UK report would be completely legal under EU law. The move has stirred up the cloning debate ahead of the European Group on Ethic's report, which is expected to play a vital role in shaping the EU's position 'Many things will be done under pressure from patients and industry. But it is the function of the ethics group to highlight the risks involved in any progress,' said Mrs Lenoir.