| ST. PAUL — Early in the 2008 legislative session, a House committee passed the Kahn-Cohen Cloning Bill (S.F. 100) on Feb. 14. The legislation would approve and fund human cloning and the killing of human embryos at the University of Minnesota, according to a press release from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.
The bill passed the House Public Safety and Civil Justice Committee by a vote of 11-8.
“This is the most shocking and dangerous threat to human life in years,” said Jenny Hoelscher, an MCCL legislative associate. “It is difficult for taxpayers to believe that their elected officials are even considering legislation which would require such massive destruction of human life.”
The bill reportedly allows millions of dollars in funds to be used to kill living human embryos for research. The legislation would also allow the use of taxpayer funds to finance the cloning of human embryos for the purpose of destroying them for experimentation, according to MCCL.
“The vast majority of Americans are opposed to research that requires human cloning and the killing of human embryos,” Hoelscher said. “The killing of innocent human life at any stage is unethical, regardless of any supposed benefits, and taxpayers must not be forced to fund it.”
According to the MCCL press release, proponents of the bill are using an “alternative scientific term” when referring to cloning, calling it “somatic cell nuclear transplantation.”
“Do not be deceived by embryonic stem cell research or cloning by somatic cell nuclear transplantation,” Hoelscher said. “It is full of empty promises and deadly consequences.”
During testimony to the House committee, MCCL representatives emphasized that adult stem cells “offer real hope for people suffering from diseases and conditions such as cancer, lupus, Crohn’s, Parkinson’s, cardiovascular diseases, immune disorders and many more.” MCCL cited statistics that show more than 70 cures and treatments have already been developed from adult stem cell research, while no embryonic stem cell cures or human clinical trials exist.
“If these horrors they call ‘research’ were at all promising, biotech firms would pour billions of dollars into them,” Hoelscher said. “The biotech industry is seeking to force taxpayers to fund this research precisely because it is illusory, highly speculative and deadly.”
ACTION POINT: To track the progress of the Kahn-Cohen Cloning Bill, and read about other pro-life issues in Minnesota, visit www.mccl.org.
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