Press Release
BOND JOINS EFFORT TO BAN HUMAN CLONING
Contact: Ernie Blazar
202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309 Thursday, April 26,
2001
WASHINGTON - Senator Kit Bond today cosponsored legislation
introduced by Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas which would outlaw
human cloning. The Brownback bill is similar to The Human Cloning
Prohibition Act that Bond sponsored in 1998.
“Human cloning is something we cannot and should not tolerate.
This type of research on humans is morally reprehensible. The
creation of a human being should not be for spare parts, or as a
replacement, or for other selfish purposes that are not in the best
interest of the child,” Bond said. Bond has long been a supporter of
biotechnology, genome mapping, and plant and animal cloning. But he
distinguished his support for a human cloning ban from other
efforts. “We can draw a clear line here. For plants and perhaps
animals, it makes sense to clone healthier specimens to improve the
food supply or to produce genetically-identical copies for use in
research. And certainly the genome mapping project at NIH and most
of the research that stems from it must continue to improve human
health. But when we are talking about creating an entire human
being, identical to another, that is a moral issue. And that is
where we must draw the line,” Bond said.
The Brownback bill would ban human cloning by outlawing in humans
the use of the specific technology -- somatic cell nuclear transfer
-- that is used to clone animals. The penalty for violating the
anti-cloning law is up to 10 years in prison, and in addition not
less than a $1 million civil penalty if the cloning procedure was
performed for profit. This bill will likely be referred to the
Judiciary Committee.
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