Action Needed Now on Human Cloning
November 26, 2001
Washington, D.C. – “In response to yesterday’s announcement of the first human embryo to be cloned in America, the Christian Coalition of America urges all U.S. Senators to take a firm stance against the Frankensteinian creation and growth of human beings for experimental purposes. We call on the United States Senate to follow the recent action of the U.S. House of Representatives and enact a total ban on cloning as soon as possible,” said Roberta Combs, Executive Vice President of the Christian Coalition of America.
Dr. Pat Robertson, President and founder of the Christian Coalition of America, echoed the urgency for Senate action, stating, “The Senate must take action before human embryo farms become commonplace in America.” Yesterday, Advanced Cell Technology of Worcester, Massachusetts announced that they had successfully created the first cloned human embryo.
The United States House of Representatives passed a total ban on human cloning in July by an overwhelming vote of 265 votes, with 63 Democratic Members voting for it. The Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001 prevents any person or entity from performing or participating in, or attempting to perform human cloning. The House of Representatives had to first defeat a substitute amendment by Rep. Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania. The Greenwood amendment allowed for the cloning of human embryos so long as they are not implanted in a woman’s womb where they could grow into a full human being – this is a clone-and-kill approach. The Greenwood approach would allow for the mass production of cloned human embryos for manipulation and experimentation for however long the current or future state-of-the-art science can sustain the cloned embryo.
A June 2001 poll conducted by International Communications Research found that 86% of Americans oppose the cloning of human life for purposes of performing destructive research.