Will the U.S. Senate Permit the Opening of Human Embryo Farms?
[Editors note: What follows is adapted from remarks by NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson at an NRLC press conference held in Washington, D.C., on January 22, 2002, which was broadcast live on C-SPAN. Those remarks have been expanded and updated for publication here. Comments or questions on this material can be addressed to Legfederal@aol.com.] The most significant pro-life issue to face Congress during the immediate future is whether human embryo farms will be permitted to start up in the United States. In late November, the Massachusetts biotech firm Advanced Cell Technology announced that it had succeeded in cloning several human embryos, who reached at most the six-cell stage, then died. Soon thereafter, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) reluctantly agreed to allow the Senate to deal directly with freestanding legislation pertaining to human cloning. That debate is expected to occur in March. The House of Representatives last summer passed the Weldon-Stupak bill (H.
