A Ban on Human Cloning that ACTUALLY Bans Human Cloning!

In Minnesota there is legislation proposed that actually does what it says it is going to do: ban cloning in humans.  Why is this remarkable?  Because most bans on human cloning do nothing of the sort.

I have always said, "Beware of legislation that says it bans human cloning!"  It is not that I don't want human cloning banned.  I do.  And so should you.  It is just that most legislation that says it bans human cloning, doesn't actually ban human cloning, it redefines it.  Somatic cell nuclear transfer or SCNT is the scientific name for cloning.  If you read the fine print of many a law that says it bans human cloning often SCNT in humans is NOT banned.  SCNT could be used to create as many cloned human embryos as researchers want.  What is banned is just the implantation of those cloned embryos into a womb.  Confused?  You should be.  See the slight of hand is subtle but important.  Here is a visual.  The first diagram is of the actual cloning or SCNT process that creates cloned embryos:  (For a more detailed explanation of SCNT, click here)

This next visual is of what they can DO with a cloned embryo AFTER the cloning is complete:

See most bills only ban that very last arrow leading to the cloned baby. They leave the rest of the cloning process legal so researchers can clone human embryos all day long to use for harvesting stem cells.

The legislation in Minnesota is a TRUE ban on human cloning.  It bans all SCNT in humans.  H.F. 998 The Human Cloning Prohibition Act states that human cloning is ANY SCNT in humans:

"Human cloning" means human asexual reproduction accomplished by introducing nuclear material from one or more human somatic cells into a fertilized or unfertilized oocyte whose nuclear material has been removed or inactivated so as to produce a living organism at any stage of development that is genetically virtually identical to an existing or previously existing human organism.

"Somatic cell" means a diploid cell, having a complete set of chromosomes, obtained or derived from a living or deceased human body at any stage of development.

Prohibition on cloning. It is unlawful for any person or entity, public
1.18or private, to knowingly:
1) perform or attempt to perform human cloning;
(2) participate in an attempt to perform human cloning;
(3) ship or receive for any purpose an embryo produced by human cloning or any
product derived from such an embryo; and
(4) ship or receive, in whole or in part, any oocyte, embryo, fetus, or human somatic cell, for the purpose of human cloning.

Kudos to law makers in Minnesota.  If you live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes you should call you representative and tell them that you support H.R. 998.  If you do not live near so many lakes, you need to read the text of any state legislation that says it bans human cloning carefully.  If it doesn't ban all SCNT in humans and just says it bans the implantation of a product of SCNT, then take a pass and push your legislators to come up with a real ban on human cloning.