To President George W. Bush,
I have learned of the Brownback-Landrieu Senate bill and H.R.
2505 in the House of Representatives, both of which propose
criminalizing all cloning. If they are passed as written,
these pieces of legislation would mean a serious setback to medical
research.
One of the great scientific accomplishments of our time,
therapeutic cloning, or nuclear transplantation, presents promising
new opportunities for the treatment of many serious illnesses and
injuries that have long plagued the world. These include heart
disease, Parkinson's, and spinal cord injury just to name a few.
Though I fully support banning reproductive cloning, I strongly
oppose any restrictions on therapeutic cloning. I hope that some
agreement will be reached to eliminate the threat that these House
and Senate bills pose to the advancement of medical research for
therapeutic purposes.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Carter