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Amid new discoveries, senators likely to take up cloning ban

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By TIMBERLY ROSS / The Associated Press

Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007 - 02:31:31 pm CST

OMAHA — Scientific breakthroughs suggest some types of adult stem cells may be as useful in research as embryonic ones, but lawmakers in Nebraska and elsewhere continue to debate whether laws are needed to prevent scientists from using human embryos.

Researchers studying embryonic stem cells in hopes of developing cures to diseases have come under fire because isolating the cells destroys embryos. Opponents believe embryos are the starting point of human life, and that destroying them is immoral.

A proposed ban on human cloning was introduced in the Nebraska Legislature in January, but senators didn’t complete work on it. There were hearings held on the bill during the past fall, and it’s expected to be revisited in the 2008 session.

Story Photo
Majority of state senators oppose embryonic stem cell research

Nebraska’s 49 state senators were asked the following question about stem cell research:

A recent scientific breakthrough may allow scientists to collect stem cells from human skin that previously were available only from embryos. Still, there is uncertainty about the new procedure and whether the cells will be as effective in medical research as embryonic cells. In light of both the discovery and the uncertainty, do you think that the state should ban human cloning to produce embryonic stem cells?

Yes: 24 (Aguilar, Carlson, Christensen, Cornett, Dierks, Engel, Erdman, Fischer, Flood, Friend, Fulton, Hansen, Harms, Heidemann, Howard, Hudkins, Kopplin, Langemeier, Louden, Nelson, Pahls, Pankonin, Pedersen, Stuthman)

No: 8 (Adams, Ashford, Johnson, Karpisek, Kruse, McGill, Nantkes, Wallman)

Unsure: 2 (Janssen, Rogert)

Not participating in survey: 15 (Avery, Burling, Chambers, Dubas, Gay, Lathrop, Lautenbaugh, McDonald, Pirsch, Preister, Raikes, Schimek, Synowiecki, White, Wightman)

In a pre-session survey of Nebraska’s 49 lawmakers by The Associated Press, 24 said they would support a state ban on human cloning to produce embryonic stem cells. Eight said they would not.

Two senators said they were not sure.

Fifteen did not participate in the survey.

Most embryos used in U.S. research are left over from in vitro fertilization — where a woman’s eggs are fertilized outside the womb and the resulting embryos are implanted in the uterus. If the embryos are not implanted, they are typically destroyed.

Embryonic stem cells are valued for their ability to morph into any of the cell types of the body. But scientists say new research shows skin cells may also be able to do that.

Research using adult and umbilical stem cells has not been controversial because those cells are not derived from embryos.

The Human Cloning Prohibition Act proposed by Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial would bar reproductive cloning and the creation of embryos for stem cell research using a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer — more commonly referred to as therapeutic cloning.

Sen. Tony Fulton of Lincoln said he would support the ban because there may not be enough human embryos to sustain research because harvesting eggs from women is a complicated and painful process. He also said researchers are programming adult stem cells to act like embryonic ones, eliminating the need to use human embryos.

“Divisive ethical difficulties are avoided completely in such a scenario,” Fulton said.

But Sens. Joel Johnson and Russ Karpisek said there’s not enough known yet about embryonic stem cells and their potential uses to rule out that research. Both senators opposed a ban.

Karpisek, of Wilber, said: “I feel that we need to use adult stem cells to their fullest extent, but not close the door on embryonic stem cells.”

Sen. Kent Rogert of Tekamah said he was unsure about whether to restrict human cloning in Nebraska but added, “We need to do all the research we can, yet protect life. The best way to get these cells is through discarded fetal tissue and excess from artificial reproduction.”

State law already prohibits the use of money from the nationwide tobacco settlement for studying embryonic stem cells.

Two bills limiting some types of research and another regarding research funding were introduced in 2005, but they never made it to a final floor vote.


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The truth please wrote on December 26, 2007 3:50 pm:
" This smells like the LJS is trying to stir up controversy and create its own news by politcizing embronic stem cell research opposition as the bad guys keeping down stem cell research. If you read other slightly less bias news outlets, especially the ones with ties to the scientific community they as a whole would much rather see the new method of developing stem cells from something as simple as skin cells rather then embronic ones. The reason is an ethics issue which scientist in this field want nothing to do with. They got into their field to create cures ... ethically not at the expense of someone having to forfit their morals or values. They can also create stem cells from the new method more plentifully and cheaper then via embronic ones. The reason people still push the embronic stem cell issue is because this was a political platform for liberal politicians who wanted to tie this in with abortion issue or womans rights because if a living embryo is even considered unethical to perform research on it could jeopardize so many of these other issues related to living human embryos aka Human Beings. When the new method came out in all the major news rags it was like a bombshell went off in Washington D.C. and every state house because it now made embronic stem cell research a moot point. If the new one fully pans out there would be no excuse to use embryonic stem cells. "

 Edumacation wrote on December 26, 2007 3:56 pm:
" Gotta make sure we're still scientifically backward. Let's work on banning the teaching of evolution too! An invisible sky-god created us all in six days! There's your science. "

 Re:Edumacation wrote on December 26, 2007 4:30 pm:
" Don't forget religious intolerance which allowed people like Hitler to get into power and begin the holocaust which killed millions of people. Ever looked at the numbers for embryos killed everyday in the US alone? How about the World? It is even more staggering then the holocaust numbers but then again religiously intolerant mindless automatons wouldn't care about the numbers. "

 Why wrote on December 26, 2007 5:42 pm:
" Why would the state want to close the door on this type of research before the results are known? Because an embryo in a dish is a life? The embryos used are going to be thrown away. Do you want to prosecute the individuals that throw these in the trash for murder? Get real. AN EMBRYO IN A DISH WILL NEVER BECOME A LIVING BEING WITHOUT A FETUS!! I don't see pro-lifers protesting the discarding of unused embryos...Why not? "

 WCG wrote on December 27, 2007 7:52 am:
" This is really stupid - not just banning stem cell research but human cloning, too. You can't get more 'pro-life' than this stuff. Why do you think we no longer lose half our children to disease before they grow up? Why do you think we're no longer terrified of polio or so many other terrible diseases that used to strike children? Did 'God' just change his mind and decide maybe killing so many children wasn't as much fun anymore? It's medical research that has done this. But Dark Ages thinking - if you can call it 'thinking' at all - is putting future advances at risk. Our right-wing politicians are about as ignorant about science as you can get, almost as ignorant as their supporters. And what's the big deal about clones? We've always had human clones - they're called identical twins. Big deal! These people have been watching WAY too many movies. And, unfortunately, they have a hard time distinguishing fiction from reality. What has happened to my country? Why have we become such superstitious, god-ridden 'true believers' in every feel-good fantasy and ancient myth, when science - real science - has given us so much? "

 Like moths to the light wrote on December 27, 2007 9:30 am:
" Like moths to the light anti-religious bigots are attracted to this issue. No mention of religion in this piece, yet the message board commences with bigoted rhetoric. It's actually quite telling that the scientific arguments are being leveled by the pro-lifers while the religious rhetoric is being employed by the pro-cloning crowd. Pay close attention to that conspicuous fact. "

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