The Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2009

Ever since its emergence into the public conscious, politicians have been wrangling with the concepts and ideology of human cloning. Currently, there are no federal laws in the United States that ban cloning completely. However, there are regulations that forbid federal funding for research into human cloning. In addition, there are some states that restrict both therapeutic and reproductive cloning, as well as some states that just ban reproductive cloning.
Thus far, gridlock between members of the Senate has impeded any direct law vindicating or outlawing human cloning. However, this all might change very soon. Letters inundate Congress in support of and against human cloning. Lobbyists are knocking at the doors of Congressmen trying to make their points and show their data. With the new Obama administration and new changes in the medical industry on the horizon, it is likely that the issue of cloning will be fought over by both parties harder than ever.
One of the newest bills in the House of Representatives is the “Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2009” which was introduced by republican representative Jeffrey Fortenberry on January 6th 2009. On February 9th, 2009, this bill passed into the second step in the many faceted process of passing an act, it was referred to Committee. Specifically, it was referred the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
The summary of this bill [written by the Congressional Research Service, a well-respected nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress] is as follows:

“1/6/2009--Introduced.

Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any public or private person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in an attempt to perform human cloning; or (3) shipping, receiving, or importing the product of human cloning for any purpose. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties for violations.
Provides that nothing in this Act shall restrict areas of scientific research not specifically prohibited by this Act, including research in the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants, or animals other than humans.”

The reasons stated for the necessity of this bill include: scientific support of the idea that cloning humans poses a “risk of producing children who are stillborn, unhealthy, or severely disabled,” the idea that human cloning could lead to manufacturing of children, the idea that clones if they survived, would not have mothers or fathers, and that with the development of cloning persons could be cloned without their knowledge. While some of the reasons outlined in this bill are viable- such as the likelihood of unhealthy clones, some of the reasons, such as child manufacturing is highly unlikely. In effect, this bill is based primarily on moral principles, as well as hypothetical various potential outcomes of the future, and has a very limited amount of scientific fact as its base. However, it does provide a few interesting moral positions, and ideas that are presented in a straightforward manner.

To see the full text of the H.R. 110: Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2009 please go to this link:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-110

S. Sneed