Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Mike Castle (R-DE) sponsored legislation in 2007 that would outlaw "reproductive" cloning (defined by implanting a cloned embryo in a woman's uterus) but fund therapeutic cloning (creates clones with the exact same process but destroys them for their stem cells). Since Americans are overwhelmingly against human cloning, proponents changed the words to somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). It was dubbed the clone and kill bill by pro-lifers and was defeated. Recently DeGette spoke openly of her bill encouraging the NIH to include funding cloning/SCNT in their Guidelines in the near future.
'I hope the NIH will allow SCNT to move
forward with federal funding,' DeGette said. '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.'
In the current political climate, a bill like that could get through Congress with relative ease; and we no longer have the pro-life veto pen of former President Bush. The Dickey-Wicker Amendment would outlaw federal funding for this as it bans the creation of embryos suited for destruction. "Leftover" embryos from IVF clinics, the ones for whom Obama signed a death warrant, were not slated for destruction when created, thus they are not protected by Dickey-Wicker... regardless, it is only law until September 30th.
So the Culture of Death marches on.
