New Cloning Study and Federal Stem Cell Bill Highlight Need for Strong Biotechnology Oversight

Progressive public interest group calls Castle-DeGette bill "a step in the right direction, but tougher oversight is still needed."

New developments in cloning techniques highlight the urgency of enacting legislation that prohibits abuses of the technologies - such as reproductive cloning - and protects the health of women and other research subjects, said the Center for Genetics and Society, a public interest group that advocates for responsible oversight of human biotechnologies.

"The Castle-DeGette bill is a step in the right direction," said Marcy Darnovsky, the Center's associate executive director. "By focusing where there is widespread agreement, it could help overcome the stalemate in Washington. But this bill lacks the sort of democratically accountable oversight that ensures stem cell research serves the public rather than the biotech industry."

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, introduced into the House of Representatives by Mike Castle (R-Del) and Diana DeGette (D-Col), would allow the federal government to fund embryonic stem cell research using any embryos "leftover" from assisted reproduction. The bill would not allow the funding of research using cloning techniques (known as research cloning, therapeutic cloning, or somatic cell nuclear transfer). In effect, it would largely undo President Bush's restrictive stem cell policy. The bill is expected to be voted upon next week.

"We need to repeal the Bush Administration's restrictions, and provide greater federal funding for embryonic stem cell research," said Darnovsky. "Unfortunately, Castle-DeGette does not provide protections against an important conflict-of-interest potential in the assisted reproduction industry. Though it prohibits payments for embryos, it could actually encourage IVF practitioners to retrieve greater numbers of eggs from women than they otherwise would, in order to produce more `leftover' embryos for stem cell research."

Many people who otherwise support embryonic stem cell research, including women's health leaders, are concerned that cloning techniques could harm women who would be called on to provide eggs for research. "The recent results from South Korea may mean that fewer women will be put at risk-but it doesn't solve the problem," said Darnovsky.

Observers also warn that the production of cloned embryos in labs around the word would increase the likelihood of reproductive cloning and of genetically modified humans. "We need national legislation allowing medical research but drawing the line at reproductive cloning and designer babies," said CGS program director Jesse Reynolds. "South Korea and many other countries already have some of the needed laws in place; the U.S. has none. These issues must be resolved before researchers here embark on research cloning."

For more information, see http://www.genetics-and-society.org

Contact: 
Marcy Darnovsky
510-625-0819 x305