More US states have been debating how to regulate human cloning and related research. Last Thursday, a hearing took place before three legislative committees in Massachusetts on a bill that would ban human reproductive cloning - currently not explicitly banned in the state - but 'give a government seal of approval' to therapeutic cloning and stem cell research, which is currently already in progress in Massachusetts.
Supporters of the bill said that it would make Massachusetts a 'safe haven' for scientists who wanted to do stem cell research using nuclear transfer technology, the technique used to create Dolly the sheep. State Senator, Cynthia Creem, said that the bill, if passed, would allow Massachusetts to retain its pre-eminence in biotechnology, saying 'we all know this research is going to take place. If it doesn't take place here, it'll take place somewhere else. Scientists are going to California because it's a safe haven', she said, adding that similar bills are also pending in other states including New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Rhode Island and Maryland.
Similarly, in the Florida House of Representatives, state legislators voted 62-51 last week to amend a bill that would have prohibited all forms of human cloning. After an 'emotional debate', the original bill was changed to allow cloning for scientific research but ban human reproductive cloning. A similar bill is currently being debated in the Florida senate.
Democrat Eleanor Sobel, co-sponsor of the amendment, said 'while it is completely unethical to use cloning to create new human beings, we should safeguard the vital scientific research'. But opponent Don Brown said that cloning was always unethical, regardless of the purpose, adding 'and ye shall be as Gods'. If the bill receives final House approval it will need to pass through the state Senate to become law. But if the US federal government, which is currently debating the same issues, votes to ban all forms of cloning, this will override any state laws that have been passed.
Sources and References
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Bill banning cloning allows some medical research
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After some debate, House backs limited ban on cloning
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Debating stem cell 'safe haven'
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