What effect would passage of Brownbacks bill have on the biotechnology industry?
For now, it wouldn’t have a significant economic effect because so little of this research is now being done. But there is a danger that the U.S. could lose the lead on this research to England. It allows therapeutic cloning on embryos up to 14 days old, but forbids the use of cloning to produce a child. Moreover, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, which represents 1,100 biotechnology companies, is concerned that the bill could set a precedent that would encourage opponents to try to block other kinds of biomedical research. The Brownback bill could deter researchers from doing any work remotely related to cloning for fear that it might land them in jail.
