In the desire to have an identical reproduction of oneself, to be cloned, there is more than the manifestation of the wish for sacrilege, to take the place of God, the refusal of our human state, which invites us to live in relationship with others, which invites us to exchanges with others, which imposes others on us as a condition of ourselves.
Even if it means being paradoxical, the dynamics of life are the dynamics of a social life in which individual points of view, interests and cultures face and even confront one another. Let us not forget that our common European heritage, which is expressed today in those basic pillars of human rights, democracy and the state of law, has its source in a history that until today has been made more of periods of conflict than periods of peace.
Our view is that an agreement is only possible between persons with strong beliefs but who are willing to compromise: that may be the philosophical and practical meaning of a legal instrument such as the convention.
So, let us wish it a fair wind: Nave va! And may the wind bear messages: political and legal messages, pedagogical messages, scientific messages.
Political, first of all, by asking the member states of the Council of Europe and the other states to sign and ratify the Convention on biomedicine and human rights.
Pedagogical, by encouraging the creation, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, of an information and documentation centre on biomedicine and human rights, a centre that would be open to everyone and would train citizens…