Bush Backs Ban on Human Cloning

W A S H I N G T O N, July 30 -- President Bush supports a ban on human cloning, as proposed by a group of Republican lawmakers, the White House said today.

"The administration supports a ban on the cloning of humanbeings by somatic cell nuclear transfer," said a statement ofadministration policy released today.

"The administration unequivocally is opposed to the cloningof human beings either for reproduction or for research. Themoral and ethical issues posed by human cloning are profoundand cannot be ignored in the quest for scientific discovery,"it said.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer is the technique used tocreate Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, in 1997. The statement said the administration does approve of thedevelopment of cell and tissue-based therapies based onresearch involving the use of nuclear transfer or other cloningtechniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than humanembryos, tissues, organs, plants or animals.

"To date, these scientific methods have enabled researchersto develop innovative drugs to treat research, such as breastcancer, or aid in treatment techniques for injury, such ascloning skin cells for skin grafts," it said.

The statement came on the eve of a vote in the House ofRepresentatives on legislation written by Florida RepublicanRep. Dave Weldon that would make it a federal crime to clonehumans, punishable by fines and up to 10 years in prison.

The statement of administration policy said Weldon's billwas consistent with the administration's position.

But it said it opposed a separate bill, sponsored byPennsylvania Republican Rep. Jim Greenwood, that aims to banreproductive cloning but allows cloning for research.

"The administration would strongly oppose any substituteamendment that is similar or identical to [Greenwood's] …which would permit human embryos to be created and developedsolely for research purposes," it said.