February 27, 2003
None of us support human cloning. We all see such a step as ethically reckless and medically unsound. The cloning and creation of human beings should be banned.
But this bill goes much further. It bans the practice of somatic cell nuclear, which creates cells, not human beings. Somatic cell nuclear transfer, or therapeutic cloning as it is also called, represents one of our most promising avenues of medical research.
That is why I support the bipartisan Greenwood/Deutsch/Degette amendment that would outlaw human cloning for reproduction without outlawing medical advancements. This bipartisan alternative provides severe penalties, including $10 million fines, for violations of the human cloning ban but allows cell transfer technology to proceed.
Through the creation of stem cells, we may be able to conquer spinal paralysis, heal burn victims, and cure a wide range of diseases. For everyone who has helplessly watched a parent succumb to the terrible cruelty of Alzheimer’s or seen a child struggle with diabetes, somatic cell nuclear transfer holds out the promise of a potential cure.
But this bill would cut off that research and criminalize those medical advancements.
The National Academies of Science examined this issue and urged lawmakers to forbid human cloning but not to outlaw nuclear transplantation which could hold the key to treating life-threatening diseases and injuries.
As they complete their medical training and begin their careers as physicians, we ask our doctors to take the Hippocratic Oath, which invokes the principle, "first do no harm." As legislators, we should adopt a similar principle: as we wrestle with these complex scientific questions, let us first do no harm.
This bill applies a sledge hammer when a scalpel is needed. We can and should outlaw human cloning without wiping out the promise of a cure for millions of Americans.
I urge you to oppose this bill and to support the bipartisan Greenwood/ Deutsch/ Degette alternative. Thank you and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Statement in Opposition to HR 534, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act February 27, 2003
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 534. This bill’s title claims that it is designed to prohibit human cloning. The reality is it will do much more: it will stifle crucial medical research that might someday cure diseases such as Parkinson’s, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s.None of us support human cloning. We all see such a step as ethically reckless and medically unsound. The cloning and creation of human beings should be banned.
But this bill goes much further. It bans the practice of somatic cell nuclear, which creates cells, not human beings. Somatic cell nuclear transfer, or therapeutic cloning as it is also called, represents one of our most promising avenues of medical research.
That is why I support the bipartisan Greenwood/Deutsch/Degette amendment that would outlaw human cloning for reproduction without outlawing medical advancements. This bipartisan alternative provides severe penalties, including $10 million fines, for violations of the human cloning ban but allows cell transfer technology to proceed.
Through the creation of stem cells, we may be able to conquer spinal paralysis, heal burn victims, and cure a wide range of diseases. For everyone who has helplessly watched a parent succumb to the terrible cruelty of Alzheimer’s or seen a child struggle with diabetes, somatic cell nuclear transfer holds out the promise of a potential cure.
But this bill would cut off that research and criminalize those medical advancements.
The National Academies of Science examined this issue and urged lawmakers to forbid human cloning but not to outlaw nuclear transplantation which could hold the key to treating life-threatening diseases and injuries.
As they complete their medical training and begin their careers as physicians, we ask our doctors to take the Hippocratic Oath, which invokes the principle, "first do no harm." As legislators, we should adopt a similar principle: as we wrestle with these complex scientific questions, let us first do no harm.
This bill applies a sledge hammer when a scalpel is needed. We can and should outlaw human cloning without wiping out the promise of a cure for millions of Americans.
I urge you to oppose this bill and to support the bipartisan Greenwood/ Deutsch/ Degette alternative. Thank you and I yield back the balance of my time.
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