BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics, Policy & Law

Cloning, genetic privacy dominate agenda

January 26, 1998 8:00 AM UTC

WASHINGTON - Thanks to the publicity surrounding Richard Seed's announcement that he intends to offer cloning services to infertile couples, legislation on human cloning will be near the top of the agenda when Congress returns this week.

The FDA's assertion that it has the authority to regulate - and prohibit - human cloning has not deterred some members of Congress from advocating rapid implementation of legislation. For example, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) said that "although the FDA's plan is a positive step, it is not an adequate remedy to a troubling situation." He added that he plans to "introduce legislation to extend the current ban on the use of federal funds for human cloning research that has been in effect since 1996." In addition, he intends to develop legislation that imposes a similar ban on private-sector institutions and individuals...