Arizona House Committee Approves Bills To Ban Human Cloning Research Funding, Allow Pharmacists To Refuse To Dispense EC

Main Category: Genetics
Article Date: 06 Feb 2005 - 17:00 PDT

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The Arizona House Health Committee on Wednesday approved 7-2 a bill…. (HB 2221) that would ban state funding of human reproductive cloning and cloning for research purposes, the Arizona Republic reports (Diaz, Arizona Republic, 2/3). Arizona currently does not fund such research (Billeaud, AP/Arizona Daily Sun, 2/2). The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Bob Stump (R), would outlaw funding for any asexual human reproduction achieved by the introduction of genetic material from human cells into an egg whose nucleus has been removed "so as to produce an organism, at any stage of development, that is genetically virtually identical to an existing or previously existing human organism," the Arizona Daily Star reports (Fischer [1], Arizona Daily Star, 2/3).

Contraception Legislation
The House Health Committee on Wednesday also approved 6-3 a bill (HB 2541) that would allow pharmacists, health professionals and anyone employed by a health professional to decline to dispense emergency contraception and other prescription contraceptives if they are morally opposed to it, the Arizona Daily Star reports (Fischer [2], Arizona Daily Star, 2/3). Arizona state Rep. Doug Quelland (R) last month introduced the bill, which did not include a provision that would require pharmacists to refer women to other pharmacies where they can get their prescription filled, according to Kathy Boyle, executive director of the Arizona Pharmacy Alliance. State Sen. Dean Martin (R) has introduced in the state Senate legislation that is identical to the House bill. In addition, an alternate version of the bill is awaiting introduction in the state Senate (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 1/27). It "remains unclear" whether the measure also allows a pharmacist to refuse to fill a birth control prescription, according to the Daily Star (Fischer [2], Arizona Daily Star, 2/3).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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