(WASHINGTON, DC) – Saying that a complete ban on human cloning is the only way to control the process, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) today testified before the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee against any and all forms of human cloning. The HELP committee is one of the key decision-making panels with federal authority over the issue and Landrieu is the lead co-sponsor of the Brownback-Landrieu Human Cloning Prohibition Act (S. 1899) with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS).

"Cloning is like an unmarked and unchecked interstate system, with scientists racing as fast as they can with no restrictions whatsoever," said Senator Landrieu. "It is up to Congress to put up the speed limit signs before we have any casualties."

The Brownback-Landrieu Human Cloning Prohibition Act would ban all human cloning. Both Senators held a press conference today to stress the broad coalition of support for their legislation. It is the only bill in Congress to have support throughout the entire political spectrum.

"In the past several weeks there has been a movement to the Brownback-Landrieu bill by opinion leaders on the political Right, the political Left and from those of us in the center. Our reasons may all be slightly different, but the conclusion is the same– creating human life simply for the purpose of destroying it– is immoral, unethical and should be illegal."

Regarding so-called 'therapeutic' cloning Landrieu said, "There are safer, less worrisome means to the same end. The human genome project and research on both adult and embryonic stem cells are advancements that I believe will help researchers discover new and exciting cures for a myriad of diseases."

Attached is a list of all medical technologies permitted under the Brownback-Landrieu bill. Supporters of the ban believe that efforts to create human beings by cloning mark a new and decisive step in human reproduction, turning the miracle of birth into a manufacturing process.