DELAWARE: State Legislature Gears Up For Second Half of Session

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

DELAWARE: State Legislature Gears Up For Second Half of Session
By Bridin Reynolds Hughes

Monday, January 12, 2004

State legislators head back to Dover Tuesday, Jan. 13, to commence the second 
half of the two year legislative session.
All bills introduced or passed by one chamber last year are still in play.

A Senate approved bill, SB 55, concerning stem cell research seems likely to 
create early controversy in the House. A
public hearing, scheduled for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Legislative Hall, 
will put the bill in the center of
attention early in the session. SB 55 has strong local sponsorship including 
Sen. Robert L. Venables, D-Laurel, Sen.
George H. Bunting, D-Bethany Beach, Rep. John C. Atkins, R-Millsboro, and Rep. 
Benjamin Ewing, R-Bridgeville.

However, Sen. Gary Simpson, R-Milford, was one of only three dissenting Senate 
votes and other local representatives
have not finalized their opinion.

?Since the bill passed the Senate, I have had letters and emails about the 
bill, but most are from out of my district,?
said Rep Joe Booth, R-Georgetown.

That may be explained by efforts by religious organizations, including the 
Catholic Dioceses of Wilmington, to see the
bill defeated. Also known as the Cloning Prohibition and Research Protection 
Act, sponsors of the bill believe the act
places a ban on human cloning while allowing cloning technologies to be used 
for purposes other than human cloning,
particularly for the development of animal or agricultural products.

Critics of the bill maintain that it purports to be a ban on human cloning, but 
instead permits unlimited cloning of
human beings through the technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer and 
would authorize ?embryo farming,? the large-
scale production of human embryos for the harvesting of their stem cells.

?SB55 creates a subclass of individuals who can be sacrificed for scientific 
research conducted, not for their benefit,
but solely for the benefit of other people. Such a practice is an affront to 
the inviolable character of innocent human
life,? said Chris DiPietro, representing the Diocese of Wilmington.

Atkins said he hopes the hearing will illuminate the many facets of the issue. 
?I feel there is a consensus on
prohibiting human cloning and the legislation should move forward on that basis 
alone,? he said.

?I am looking forward to listening to the public input; right now I think there 
may be some misunderstanding
surrounding the bill,? said Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D- Rehoboth Beach, who is 
undecided on the bill. ?It is my
understanding that right now there are no provisions in our state law governing 
stem cell research, so this is actually
a limiting bill, not an enabling bill. It would set some parameters.?

Following the public hearing, any action on the bill will be in the hands of 
the House Health and Human Development
Committee.

SNIP

SOURCE: Cape Gazette, DE


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