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"Bioethics specialist Wesley Smith"... I wonder where he studied... Nic 57/15 On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 5:26 AM, rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > OK and MN BAN THERAPEUTIC CLONING - SCNT: > > > Okla., Minn. take stand against cloning > > > Posted on May 19, 2009 | by Staff > OKLAHOMA CITY (BP)--The Oklahoma legislature has unanimously approved a > bill to prohibit all forms of human cloning, while Minnesota's governor has > signed a bill prohibiting the use of state funds for human cloning. > > Oklahoma's House of Representatives voted 83-0 for the measure May 15, and > the Senate passed the bill with a 44-0 vote the same day, according to The > Daily Oklahoman. > > The legislation goes to Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat who vetoed a ban on > embryonic stem cell research April 22. The extraction of stem cells from a > human embryo for research purposes destroys the days-old human being. > > If Henry were to veto the measure, a veto override -- which requires a > two-thirds majority -- would appear to be a foregone conclusion. > > In April, the House voted to override Henry's veto of the embryonic stem > cell ban, but the Senate override effort fell short. > > The bill approved by the Oklahoma legislature May 15 would ban the creation > of an embryo by cloning in order to harvest his stem cells, as well as the > production of an embryo for the purpose of carrying the child to term. > > "The idea that we would allow the creation of human embryos through cloning > crosses an ethical line and violates our most basic values," said the bill's > sponsor, Rep. Pam Peterson, a Republican from Tulsa. > > Bioethics specialist Wesley Smith applauded the bill's passage. "This is > the first true human cloning ban to pass in a long time," Smith wrote on his > weblog. "Unless the governor vetoes the bill and that veto is upheld, it > looks like Oklahoma has pushed back against [the] brave new world." > > In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a bill May 16 that included a > prohibition against the use of state funds for human cloning. > > The measure, which became law as part of legislation funding higher > education, bars the University of Minnesota from using state money to pursue > human cloning, according to Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL). > > The ban applies to cloning for both research and reproductive purposes. It > is believed the University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute is seeking to > produce clones for research, MCCL reported. > > MCCL commended Pawlenty, a Republican, and the legislature "for > establishing a clear ethical boundary which upholds the integrity of the > human embryo and opposes the commodification of the human body," MCCL > Executive Director Scott Fischbach said in a written release. "Human life > must be treated with dignity, not as mere raw material for experimentation." > --30-- > Compiled by Baptist Press Washington bureau chief Tom Strode. > > > > > Rayilyn Brown > Director AZNPF > Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation > [log in to unmask] > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto: > [log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn