U.N. Divided: Human Clone Ban

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday approved a nonbinding resolution that seeks to ban human cloning, capping a four-year struggle that saw governments abandon efforts for stronger action because their divisions were too deep.

From the beginning, the debate hinged on whether to outlaw all cloning or permit cloning for research. Nations that sought a total ban always had more votes, but never enough to achieve broad consensus or a binding worldwide treaty.

The final resolution urges member states to adopt legislation "to prohibit all forms of human cloning in as much as they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human life."

The document, which has no legal force, passed 84 to 34, with 37 abstentions. The United States was joined by many African, Arab and Latin American states in voting for it; mostly European and Asian countries opposed.

In speeches after the vote, several nations including Britain, South Korea and the Netherlands flatly rejected the resolution. They promised to push ahead with therapeutic cloning, which scientists believe may lead to new treatments for...