Last summer, in response to the UN decision, 78 Nobel laureates signed a petition discouraging the adoption of an international ban on human cloning, because “it would condemn hundreds of millions of individuals afflicted by debilitating diseases to a life deprived of hope.” The petition, initiated by Luca Coscioni Association, an NGO devoted to the promotion of the freedom of scientific research, called on governments to reject prohibitions in favor of “rules that protect the right to life and health by ensuring freedom of research, choice, and knowledge.”