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NEW JERSEY: Pols Beseech McG Not To Sign Pro-Clone Bill DAVE SOMMERS , Staff Writer 12/22/2003 In response to the pro-cloning bill recently approved by the state legislature, three U.S. Representatives have issued statements urging Gov. Jim McGreevey not to sign the measure, but to "carefully and soberly" reconsider the proposal’s "legal and moral" ramifications. Representatives Chris Smith (R-Hamilton), Mike Ferguson (R-Warren) and Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) also warned that the bill, if passed, could lead to the cloning of human beings for research purposes, and could allow cloned human embryos to be implanted into a woman’s womb. "We urge the governor to take a step back from a historic and troubling threshold that ought not be crossed lightly," the three reps said in a joint statement. "The bill being considered for signature on McGreevey’s desk would not only allow the cloning of humans for research purposes, but ... (would) allow the cloned human to develop into the fetal stage ... (for use in) research where he or she could be killed for their spare parts." The New jersey legislature passed the bill earlier this week 41-31, with seven members abstaining. Organizations that sponsor research for terminal illnesses have praised the bill as a major step forward for finding cures and lessening painful symptoms of deadly diseases. If signed by McGreevey, New Jersey would become the second state in the nation to permit stem cell research. "Once this happens, nothing can stop the world’s first human clone from being born and starting a horrible new era of human history," the congressmen warned. "As advocates for increased funding to support life-affirming biomedical research, we fully understand the drive to cure debilitating diseases and to improve healthcare for those who are suffering," the statement said. "The priority should be to fund the most ethical and the most promising avenues of research adult stem cell research, which could find cures that will not exploit human life and incite controversy." The congressmen also criticized the legislature for pushing the bill through during what they called "extreme legislation" during a lame duck session, which falls in between Election Day and inauguration of new legislative members. SOURCE: The Trentonian, NJ http://tinyurl.com/2jkbc * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn