Cloning crackdown?

Legislators and members of the US biomedical community are expecting a resurgence of bills to limit or outlaw all forms of human cloning, spurred by the Christmas-week claim of Clonaid, a Bahamas-based company, to have created the first live human clone as well as announcements by other groups that more baby clones are on the way. Despite widespread skepticism in the scientific community over the claims, opponents of cloning are hopeful that the new Congress, which convenes January 7 under Republican control, will quickly enact legislation to outlaw both human reproductive cloning and research or therapeutic cloning using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques. Such legislation was passed in the House in 2001 but stalled last year in the Senate. "I would not be surprised if this issue has a big head of steam when Congress comes back in session," said a legislative affairs specialist with a major biomedical research association, who asked not be named in advance of the organization's lobbying efforts to begin next week. "It'll be a crazy year, but we're going to be ready to respond."A number of research organizations have already come out in opposition to sweeping legislation as a result of the recent clone announcements. "A knee-jerk reaction to Clonaid's claims could set back much important medical research for years," said Albert Teich, head of Science and Policy Programs for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in a statement issued January 2.While endorsing a possible congressional ban on human reproductive cloning, Steven Teitelbaum, president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), also cautioned against outlawing therapeutic cloning to produce human embryonic stem cells for research. "It would be a tragedy if we allowed the irresponsible acts of a few zealots to undermine growing public support for stem cell research techniques that offer significant hope to millions of patients and their families," he said in a statement issued December 27.On the same day, President Bush's spokesman Scott McClellan, said that the President found the clone claim to be "deeply troubling," and repeated his long-standing plea to ban all forms of human cloning. At least two competing anti-cloning bills are expected to be reintroduced shortly after Congress convenes next week. One will ban all forms of human cloning, reproductive and therapeutic. Sponsored by Representative Dave Weldon (R-Fla), the bill (HR 2505 ) passed the House in July 2001 by a wide margin of 265 to 162. Weldon said he would reintroduce the measure Tuesday, when the 108th Congress convenes. A companion bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan), who supported the measure (S 1899) last session. That legislation stalled last year in the Senate for a variety of reasons, including the realization that neither side could muster the 60 votes needed to enforce cloture. An opposing measure to make human reproductive cloning a felony offense but permitting SCNT for research is also expected to be reintroduced in the Senate. That bill (S 2439) had been introduced last May by Senators Arlen Specter (R-Penn), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass). Despite the Republicans having majority control of both houses of Congress, the cloning issue cuts across party lines and lobbyists are having a difficult time trying to count votes. Hatch, for instance, is a political conservative but has sided squarely with political liberals on permitting research cloning. A number of liberals concerned about genetic research, however, favor a total ban.A new factor this year is the unexpected ascension of Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to Senate majority leader. Frist, a strong conservative and medical physician, is said to enjoy considerable influence with the President. It is widely believed, for example, that Frist was a prime influence on Bush's August 2001 compromise policy to allow limited federal research on human embryonic stem cells. Frist has not announced his support for either sort of cloning legislation but he has declared opposition to human cloning in general. If Frist seeks middle ground, one possibility could involve a moratorium on all forms of cloning rather than an outright ban. A four-year moratorium was endorsed last year by The President's Council on Bioethics, chaired by Leon Kass of the University of Chicago. It also is Senator Brownback's fallback position.But proponents of research cloning say they will fight both a total ban as well as a limited moratorium. "We've been talking about this for a year," said the legislative affairs specialist. "Our allies will be able to hit the ground running."

Cloning crackdown?

Congress expected to revive anti-cloning legislation in light of clone-baby claims.

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of