Drawing the Line and Defending Life

Congressman Bob Barr, December 4, 2001

Recently, the growing rumors we had been hearing about efforts by private companies to clone humans became a chilling reality. Advanced Cell Technology, based in Worcester, Massachusetts, announced it had successfully cloned a human embryo. In doing so, it crossed one of the most important ethical boundaries facing our society in modern times.

While I recognize the agony of so many Americans with devastating illnesses, I cannot condone the creation and destruction of human life as a potential means to achieve hoped-for medical advances. There are many alternatives under lengthy review by our nation’s scientists that promote the quality of human life, without forsaking the value of life in its most vulnerable form.

The efforts of Advanced Cell Technology not only endanger the lives they seek to create, but endangers the way of life for every American. With continued advances in science and technology comes increased responsibility and awareness in adhering to the principles on which our nation was founded. Morality and the sanctity of life are two of the most sacred principles binding America’s commitment, set forth by our Founding Fathers, to freedom and opportunity for all. In cloning a human embryo for the first time, Advanced Cell Technology has set our nation on a path that casts doubt on our ability to uphold this commitment for future generations.

Moreover, it raises troubling questions about our ability to restrain mad scientists bent on redefining the meaning and foundation of human life. It brings to mind a quote from the renowned statesman, Edmund Burke, who once said, “[t]he only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Clearly, in this instance, more so than any other in recent years, we cannot afford to do nothing. We must ban human cloning and we must do so before more innocent lives are created only to be destroyed by scientists bent on harvesting certain parts of them.

This past summer, the House of Representatives passed, with my strong support, H.R. 2505, legislation banning the creation of cloned human embryos for research and reproductive purposes; the type of activity engaged in by Advanced Cell Technology. The ban on cloning would put the United States in line with 40 countries, including Russia, Turkey, and Germany that have adopted the Council of Europe convention Article 18, which prohibits the creation of human embryos solely for research purposes. The United Kingdom is the only county in Europe in which the government fully supports creating cloned embryos solely for research purposes, and is now under intense pressure by the international community to change that stance.

In the United States, however, Advanced Cell Technology has been able to move forward with its “scientific” research because the Democrat-controlled Senate refuses to consider this important legislation. In fact, led by Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy, the Senate even voted just days ago against a temporary six-month ban on cloning. Clearly, Senate Democrats have not yet grasped the ethical ramifications of cloning, and until they do, the moral foundations of our country will continue to be eroded. Please contact your Senators and urge them to immediately pass the ban on human cloning.

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