rigorousintuition.ca

Someone on some thread early on discussed Soviet experiments to create "super soldier" human-animal hybrids. Then Bush mentions them in his most recent SOTU. I thought at the time that the fact he mentioned them at all in order to assure us it wouldn't happen, meant that it would. Now this:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.kfmb.com/stories/story.44073.html">www.kfmb.com/stories/story.44073.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><br>Kansas House Rejects 'Hybrid' Cloning Ban<br><br>Last Updated:<br>03-25-06 at 11:59AM<br><br>A proposed ban on human-animal hybrids died Friday when the House cut the heart out of a bill and ended debate early on the issue.<br><br>The vote was 63-52 against the proposal from Rep. Mary Pilcher Cook, R-Shawnee, to make it a felony to create or attempt to create a hybrid embryo or "non-human life form" with human brain tissue. A first offense would be punished by up to five years and one month in prison and a fine of $1 million.<br><br>Concerns about such hybrids, or "chimeras," are part of a larger debate over human cloning and medical research with embryonic stem cells. Pilcher Cook offered her ban as a substitute for a bill creating a new legislative committee on biosciences.<br><br>Some House members questioned whether any such research is being conducted in Kansas, but Pilcher Cook said her review of medical literature suggests it's happening elsewhere. A chimera, mentioned in her amendment, is a mythical Greek creature with a lion's head, a goat's body and snake's tail.<br><br>The House disposed of her proposal in less than half an hour. In an unusual move, members struck the bill's enactment clause, killing the bill and Pilcher Cook's substitute language.<br><br>Critics said the issue needs more study so that legislators don't unintentionally hinder the state's efforts to nurture cutting-edge biosciences research and industry.<br><br>"This is not the way to go about a very controversial issue," said Rep. Carl Krehbiel, R-Moundridge, who proposed the procedural move that ended debate.<br><br>But Pilcher Cook said medical research is moving too quickly for legislators to delay, even if the debate conjures images of mythical creatures such as satyrs, centaurs and mermaids.<br><br>"It goes to the core of what it means to be human," she said. "There's a real danger in people not taking the issue seriously."<br><br>Pilcher Cook's proposal covered adding non-human cells to human embryos; fertilizing human eggs with animal sperm and vice versa; adding a human nucleus to a non-human cell or vice versa; and implanting a human embryo in an animal's womb or an animal embryo in a human womb.<br><br>"Sometimes when you think something is off the wall, you need to think about it," said Rep. Bill Otto, R-LeRoy. "We can cross lines that really need to be crossed."<br><br>Pilcher Cook offered her proposed ban the same day the House voted 121-4 to approve a bill containing another one of her initiatives on cloning and stem cell issues.<br><br>The measure would set up new state funds to finance research with adult stem cells or blood from newborns' umbilical cords, then grant a tax break to Kansans who contribute to either fund. Backers couldn't say how much the tax breaks would cost but hope to attract millions of dollars in contributions.<br><br>Such research is considered an alternative to research involving embryonic stem cells, which Pilcher Cook and others view as human cloning.<br><br>___<br><br>Pilcher Cook offered her chimera ban to House Sub for SB 1.<br><br> <p></p><i></i>