Click here for Congressman's Positions on Science

Cloning
The term "cloning" is used by scientists to describe many different processes that involve making copies of biological material, such as a gene, a cell, a plant or an animal. The cloning of genes, for example, has led to new treatments developed by the biotechnology industry for diseases such as diabetes and hemophilia.

On July 19, 2001, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime approved the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001, H.R. 2505. The bill would ban the process of human cloning as well as the importation of any product derived from an embryo created via cloning. The provisions mean that cloning could not be used for reproductive purposes or for research on therapeutic purposes, which has implications for stem cell research. The bill includes a criminal penalty of imprisonment of not more than 10 years and a civil penalty of not less than $1 million.

On July 31, 2001, the House passed H.R. 2505 by a vote of 265-162. Prior to the vote on H.R. 2505, the House defeated a substitute amendment, H.Amdt. 285, which is identical to H.R. 2608, a bill that would ban only human reproductive cloning for the next 10 years. A similar bill to H.R. 2608 introduced in the Senate, S. 2439, would prohibit human reproductive cloning while allowing cloning for medical research purposes, including stem cell research.

*This is a partial list of the issues currently before Congress.  If you are wondering about Congressman Fattah's position on a particular issue that is not listed here, please fill out this form and your request will be emailed to his office.