WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback today said an agreement he reached with Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter is a victory for Americans concerned with the issues of cloning and the use of federal tax dollars to fund destructive embryonic stem cell research. Under the agreement, Sen. Specter agreed to pull his language from the Labor-HHS Appropriations bill, which would have moved beyond President Bush’s decision on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

The agreement guarantees debate and a vote in the Senate in February or March on four amendments Sen. Brownback offered as a part of the Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. The Brownback amendments: 1) prohibit all human cloning; 2) prohibit the creation of embryos for research purposes; 3) prohibit the creation of human/animal hybrid embryos; 4) prohibit germline gene manipulation. There will also be debate and a vote on Sen. Specter’s language at that time.

“The issues of human cloning and embryonic stem cell research force us to debate first principles – most particularly, the meaning of human life, and whether that life is a person or a piece of property,” Brownback said. “Throughout human history, we’ve learned the painful lesson of using one class of human beings for the benefit of others. It was wrong then, it is wrong now.

“We already have success with adult stem cells in treating human diseases without the moral dilemma posed by embryonic stem cell research. We should substantially increase the funding for adult stem cell research rather than research on young humans - a practice which is opposed by millions of American taxpayers.

“The importance of the issue of human cloning simply cannot be underestimated. It is an issue that touches on our humanity in a way few issues have – and it does so at a time when we have the unique ability to resolve the issue properly not only for our own country, but also to lead the way for the world. According to a Time/CNN poll, 90 percent of Americans oppose cloning human beings.

“The prospect of creating new human life solely to be exploited and destroyed in this way has been condemned on moral grounds by many as displaying a profound disrespect for life. Recent scientific advances indicate that there are fruitful and morally unproblematic alternatives to this approach. There is no need for this technology to ever be used with humans – whether for reproductive purposes or for destructive research purposes,” Brownback said.