COMECE SG Poquillon to EF: Heritable Gene Editing risk + China/US =Question for EU's External Action

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- Shortly before a crucial EU - China Summit in Brussels, Pope Francis' pick for EU, COMECE's Secretary General, Fr. Olivier Poquillon from France, Replying after a Topical BioEthical Question raised by "Eurofora" on the recent incident of Heritable Gene Editing scandalously operated on 2 new born Babies by a Chinese Doctor, educated and linked with some USA Lobbies dating from the era of Former "Socialist"/Liberal US President Barack Hussein Obama, (Comp., f.ex. : ..., + .., etc), Acknowledged the Importance of the Issue and advised to alert EU's External Action, headed by Frederica Mogherini.

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He was a keynote Speaker at a meeting of the "PanEuropa" working Group of ChristianDemocrats/EPP MEPs in EU Parliament in Strasbourg, organized by its new Chairman, the Young Austrian MEP Lukas Mandl.

- "Eurofora", pointing at notorious Health Risks, but also at the Serious Threats against all Humankind from possible abuse of so Dangerous Irreversible Alterations of Human Genome transmissible to Future Generations, which are Prohibited by CoE's BioEthical Convention on Human Rights, Biology and Medicine, (known as "Oviedo" Convention), and have recently provoked a Public Debate in EU Parliament in Strasbourg, added also to a Draft Resolution reportedly pushed by the EPP Group against such practices, with Calls, inter alia, for a "Global Ban", (See also : ..., etc), after a verbal Condemnation also by a Chinese Official, as well as the adoption of an Interesting Wording, by China's President Xi, during this week's top Talks in Paris with French and German Leaders, President Macron and Chancellor Merkel, as well as EU Commission's President Juncker, urging for Multilateral Cooperation at Global level in order to Deal with "Challenges Faced by Humanity", (See: ..., etc), critically observed that, despite an important forthcoming EU - China Summit in Brussels on April 9, nevertheless, some inside the EU still seem to be Ignoring or Downplaying the Crucial Issues at Stake !

=> For some, it seems as if the EU would be still Limited only into a mere Common Market of the Past, withOut the Lisbon Treaty of 2010, Neither the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which notoriously includes also a Key Reference to "Human Dignity", "Eurofora" criticized, in this regard.                       

- Speaking shortly After that "Eurofora"s Question, COMECE's Secretary General, Fr. Poquillon, significantly cought on the fly our above-mentioned reference to Europe and "Human Dignity" (Comp. Supra), adding even that "for Christians", the European "Identity" itself is, precisely Linked with that Basic Concept, and that, for them, "All Humans are Created at the Image of God".

- By a Welcome Coincidence, Poquillon's above-mentioned, latest formula, was almost Identical to a Similar, Topical Public Statement, made Recently also by new US President Don Trump, when he spoke, precisely, about "the UnBorn Children", (i.e. the Human Embryos), at this Year's "National Christian Breakfast", a big Traditional BiPartisan Gathering in North America, where he was very Widely Applauded at this juncture, (See, f.ex., at : .., etc). Significantly, Trump said that while he was (and still is) notoriously engaged in prolonged Talks with China's President Xi, (mainly on World Trade, but, naturally, without excluding a priori also an eventual USA - Chine Deal, (on the sidelines f.ex. of the occasion which might be given by an eventual Summit, in case of success), which could extend even to a Protection of Humanity from such Controversial and Dangerous, Heritable Artificial Manipulations of Human Embryos' Genome, (an Issue already discussed, in the Past, between China, USA and other such Global Players).   

- So that, when "Eurofora" asked COMECE's Secretary General to confirm whether he really meant that (as we had already observed earlier : Comp. Supra), EU's Lisbon Treaty's Post-2010 key Referneto "Human Dignity", precisely, should, normaly, Protect Human Embryos from any such Dangerous Heritable "Gene Editing", Frere Poquillon did Not Deny...

=> On the Contrary, he even took the Initiative to Add, Afterwards, that, in his view, this Issue should be Raised, asap, not  so much in EU Parliament now, (i.e. in the run up to the forthcoming EU - China Summit of April 9 in Brussels : Comp. Supra), but Rather vis a vis EU's "External Action", currently headed by the EU Commission's vice-President, and EU's High Representative, Frederica Mogherini, (former Italian Foreign Minister), as he Advised us in Conclusion.

(../..)

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