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Thursday, May 3, 2001 Feds propose cloning ban OTTAWA (CP) -- The federal government introduced draft legislation Thursday that would ban human cloning and regulate assisted human reproduction. Health Minister Allan Rock presented the draft law to the Commons committee on health, which is to examine it and report back with proposed changes by next January. He said the proposed law has two primary objectives: Ensuring Canadians using assisted human reproduction techniques can do so without compromising their health. Ensuring that research related to assisted human reproduction is regulated. "This draft legislation addresses something fundamental to the lives of many Canadians -- the desire to have children and build a family," Rock said. "We want to make sure that reproductive technologies, which offer some women a better chance of having a child, are safe and that Canadians are able to make informed decisions about them." The draft legislation would allow women to serve as surrogate mothers -- provided they are not paid. It would also regulate stem cell research. Stem cells have the ability to turn into other cells, offering hope in treating things like spinal cord injury and Alzheimer's disease. The proposed law would ban: The sale and purchase of human embryos. The fusion of genetic material to create human-animal hybrids. Sex selection of children for non-medical reasons. Creation of embryos solely for research. It would also provide penalties under criminal law, including fines of up to $500,000 and up to 10 years in prison. Presenting draft legislation allows for wider consultation than usual, and greater scope for possible amendments. Most government bills are pushed through with little or no change once introduced. Some critics say the issue has already been aired -- most notably by a royal commission that studied new reproductive technologies from 1989 to 1993. "It's a complex topic where there are a lot of views, but I think we've done a lot of consulting," said Patricia Baird, a University of British Columbia professor who headed the commission. "I hope very much that, if they introduce legislation, it has a fairly rapid passage and doesn't become too long, drawn-out in Parliament . . . I've been somewhat disappointed that we haven't moved on it before now." The Liberals tried once before, in legislation introduced in 1996, to address the issue. That bill died on the Commons order paper when the 1997 election was called. Since then the Health Department has engaged in a lengthy canvassing of expert views. http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSTopNews/cloning_may3-cp.html ********** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn