U.S. House of Representatives

Committee on the Judiciary

F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman

www.house.gov/judiciary

For immediate release Contact: Jeff Lungren/ Terry Shawn

August 20, 2001 (202) 225-2492

Sensenbrenner Disappointed in National Academy of Sciences' Biased Human Cloning Workshop

Unbalanced Workshop Undercuts Credibility of Academy's Work

WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. expressed disappointment in the National Academy of Sciences' August 7^th workshop on human cloning and recommended that NAS President Dr. Bruce Alberts direct the Academy to convene balanced supplemental workshops on human cloning. Chairman Sensenbrenner, in a letter to Dr. Alberts, pointed out that of the thirty-one members of the Academy's workshop panel, not one spoke in opposition to human cloning research.

Chairman Sensenbrenner said in his letter, "Unfortunately, the blatant bias of the panel's makeup led this workshop, and in some ways the National Academy of Sciences, to deliver a biased pro-human cloning message to the world rather than carefully reviewing the serious issues surrounding human cloning experimentation."

Commented Chairman Sensenbrenner, "The way the Academy handled this so-called workshop severely undermines the credibility of the Academy's forthcoming report to Congress on human cloning. Many of us were expecting a thoughtful, dignified discussion; instead, numerous media reports have referred to the workshop's circus-like atmosphere. I'm hopeful that balanced supplemental workshops by the Academy might restore some credibility to this process so any report on human cloning will meet the Academy's scientific work standards."

Click here to view Chairman Sensenbrenner's letter to the National Academy of Science.

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