Legislation to ban human cloning has been passed in six states—California, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Rhode Island and Virginia. At least a dozen other states are considering cloning legislation.
These laws and proposals differ greatly in their provisions. Some prohibit reproductive cloning only; others also restrict research cloning. Some of the prohibitions "sunset" after a specified period; others are permanent. Penalties for violation range from $10,000 to $10 million, and sometimes include imprisonment. Michigan's law is currently the most stringent, with a permanent ban on both reproductive and research cloning and a penalty for violation of up to 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine. A cloning bill being considered in Florida would allow cloned persons to seek money for living expenses, medical costs and "emotional damages."
Several states have laws banning forms of embryo research that would also ban inheritable genetic modification. None have laws specifically intended to ban inheritable genetic modification (IGM). .
Off-Site Links
State Human Cloning Laws, compiled by the National Conference of
State Legislators
- Current Legislation: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/genetics/rt-shcl.htm
- 2001 Legislative Activity: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/Genetics/01clone.htm
- 2002 Legislative Activity: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/Genetics/chhumancl.htm
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