WASHINGTON, DC — One day after President Bush reiterated his call for a ban on all human cloning in his "State of the Union" address, Senators and Congressman continued their debate on the topic at a hearing of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space.
Committee chair Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan) introduced legislation that would ban all human cloning. Brownback's bill mirrors one reintroduced in the House of Representatives by Dave Weldon (R-Fla) on January 8; Weldon's original version passed in the House in July of 2001 by a wide margin. The bills stipulate jail time and $1 million in fines for anyone attempting to clone a human being.
Wednesday's hearing, the latest of several, focused on the ongoing crux of the debate: the very definition of "cloning." Witnesses attempted to clarify the distinction, if any, between reproductive cloning and the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) ...
