The Wisconsin State Senate voted today to place a complete ban on human cloning in the state. Assembly Bill (AB) 499 would ban both “reproductive cloning” – where a cloned person is brought to birth, and “therapeutic cloning” – where a cloned person is killed in the course of scientific experimentation.
On a 21 to 12 bipartisan vote, Assembly Bill 499, authored by Representative Steve Kestell (R-Elkhart Lake) and Senator Joe Leibham (R-Sheboygan), passed the Senate and now moves to the Governor’s desk.
“We commend the Wisconsin State Senate for placing a total ban on the destructive and dehumanizing practice of human cloning,” said Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin. “We especially thank Senator Leibham and Representative Kestell for their courageous and steadfast leadership in passing this critical bill intact.”
A comprehensive ban on human cloning will not hinder lifesaving medical research in Wisconsin. Ethically unproblematic adult stem cells have helped hundreds of thousands of patients, and new clinical uses are discovered almost weekly. Adult stem cells have already been used to treat cancers, restore vision, repair damaged spinal cords, and treat juvenile diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
The states of Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota have all passed comprehensive bans on human cloning, prohibiting both “reproductive cloning” and “therapeutic cloning.”
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