Copyright 2002 The Chronicle Publishing Co.  

The San Francisco Chronicle
DECEMBER 30, 2002, MONDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A3

LENGTH: 407 words

HEADLINE: Feinstein urges 'strong sanctions' on cloning;

'Eve' announcement 'an earthquake'

SOURCE: Chronicle Staff Report

BODY:
Even if the now famous "Eve" is a fraud, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday that the announcement of her birth was "an earthquake" that underscored the need for safeguards against human cloning for reproductive purposes.

"I think we need the very strong sanctions to prevent human cloning," Feinstein said on "Fox News Sunday."

However, the California Democrat reiterated her support for allowing scientists to continue their experiments for therapeutic purposes. "I see no reason why medical research cannot go ahead," she said.

The claim by an alien-worshiping cult that it has cloned a human baby gave the cloning debate more immediacy over the weekend, but it does not necessarily signal an end to an impasse in the Senate over legislation regulating the research -- at least yet.

Feinstein is pushing a measure that has been stalemated by opponents who want to ban all forms of cloning, including those for medical research.

Her measure -- backed by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania -- would impose fines of $1 million or three times the gross profits and prison terms of up to 10 years to those convicted of human cloning for purposes of reproduction.

At the same time, Feinstein said, medical research would be allowed to continue, with some restrictions. Under discussion, she said, are rules that require unfertilized eggs to be donated on a volunteer, nonprofit basis and that embryos be kept for only 14 days.

"The purpose of this is to prevent the argument that we're using fertilized embryos and also to prevent any profit motive, any kind of embryo farm," Feinstein said.

But Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., sponsor of a competing measure that would ban all cloning research, said he still would oppose Feinstein's bill.

"The problem with what Sen. Feinstein has described is she is saying that you can create human clones for a period of up to 14 days," Brownback said on Fox. "I think . . . some people will want to extend that to longer periods of time so you can grow some cell lines that get differentiated into kidney cells or liver cells. That's where the problem is."

President Bush's Council on Bioethics released a report in July saying a four-year moratorium should be imposed on cloning and research using its techniques, while experts consider the moral, scientific and political issues surrounding such research.



LOAD-DATE: December 30, 2002