House approves cloning for stem-cell research
House approves cloning for stem-cell research
gazetteonline.com
By James Q. Lynch
The Gazette
james.lynch@gazettecommunications.com
DES MOINES - Legislation repealing Iowa's 5-year-old ban on therapeutic human cloning for stem-cell research is on its way to Gov. Chet Culver, who made overturning the ban one of his campaign priorities.
The repeal will be a ``major step forward in the helping of our citizens by allowing basic scientific research on some of the most deadly diseases to be applied in the form of treatments right here in Iowa,'' said floor manager Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames.
Unlike the Senate, which approved Senate File 162 in less than an hour last week, the House debated the bill for more than four hours before voting 52-45 to approve it.
The vote in the Senate was 26-24 with four Democrats and 20 Republicans voting against the measure.
Culver praised the lawmakers' decision and said he looks forward to signing the bill.
``The research enabled by this initiative has the potential to unveil cures for debilitating and life-threatening illnesses,'' Culver said through a spokesman last night. ``I am very pleased the Iowa House has joined the Iowa Senate in lifting our state's restrictive ban on lifesaving embryonic stem-cell research.''
Iowa law does not ban stem-cell research. At least a dozen UI research projects are under way using several types of stem cells, including human embryonic stem cells, which some people consider controversial. The 2002 ban on cloning does not distinguish between reproductive purposes and therapeutic purposes, which restricts how scientists can use stem cells in their research.
Heddens said her bill would remove that barrier and open the door to the possibility of cures.
Opponents of the bill, many who cited their religious beliefs as the basis of their opposition, ``want to take away hope from people dying from debilitating diseases,''
Heddens said.
``What do you say to the individuals and families that are looking for a cure to diabetes and Parkinson's disease?'' she said. ``Too bad? Go somewhere else for the latest treatment?''
The real hope for cures, cloning opponents said, is in research on adult stem cells, postnatal tissue and fluid, such as the placenta, umbilical cord, umbilical cord blood and amniotic fluid.
``This represents a positive way of bringing us all together to support stem-cell research,'' Rep. Rod Roberts, R-Carroll, said. ``This particular kind of research has great potential for finding those particular therapies and cures that we're all very interested in finding and applying.''
He and others argued therapeutic cloning created life merely for the purpose of destroying it for research purposes.
``This is about human cloning. Don't let them fool you,'' Rep. Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, said. ``It's taking life to maybe, maybe preserve life. I don't think the Bible gives us the right to make that trade.''
Culver, however, sees the research as a ``moral obligation'' and has proposed spending $12.5 million for a Center for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Iowa that, he said, will help retain faculty and aid job and business creation in the Corridor.
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