Antiabortion-Rights Groups Oppose Draft Legislation Allowing Research Into Therapeutic Cloning

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Stem Cell Research;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 30 Apr 2009 - 4:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

The "next big biomedical research debate" in Congress could be about whether to allow federal funding of research into "somatic cell nuclear transfer," also known as therapeutic cloning, to produce stem cells, CQ Today reports. President Obama's executive order easing restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research directed NIH to determine guidelines for the research. The draft guidelines issued by NIH restrict federal funding to research involving embryonic stem cell lines derived from unused embryos created for fertility treatments and willingly donated by patients who have given written consent. NIH added that embryonic stem cells derived from other sources, including cloning, will not be eligible for federal funding.

According to CQ Today, Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Michael Castle (R-Del.) are working on draft legislation that would codify Obama's executive order and contain language allowing NIH to pursue research on SCNT. DeGette said that her draft legislation would not require NIH to fund SCNT but that it could encourage such research. "I hope the NIH will allow SCNT to move forward with federal funding," DeGette said, adding, "But if they don't do that right now, what our bill will do is allow them to change that in the future if research shows it is a necessity and can be done ethically." DeGette added that other Democratic representatives support her work. In addition, DeGette said her bill would contain language outlawing reproductive cloning, a technique that creates a genetic copy of a person.

According to CQ Today, many experts believe therapeutic cloning could lead to the development of new treatments such as tissue transplants that have no risk of rejection by a patient's immune system. However, antiabortion-rights groups contend that it could lead to the creation of what they call "human embryo farms" for the purpose of obtaining embryonic stem cells or enable "unscrupulous" scientists to bring a cloned embryo to term, CQ Today reports. The National Right to Life Committee last month sent a letter to Congress alleging that the draft DeGette-Castle bill could be a "'bait and switch'" by using ambiguous language to mask its intent to allow federal funding for cloned embryonic stem cells.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), sponsor of an embryonic stem cell research bill that former President George W. Bush vetoed in 2007, said he is comfortable with Obama's position on the subject. "Scientists will still be able to study SCNT using private funding," Harkin said, adding, "But it's important to note that no one has yet succeeded in creating a human stem cell line using SCNT. As yet, this is only a theoretical approach" (Wayne, CQ Today, 4/27).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations